The Resort
by Lynn Miller
Summary: The Sequel to The Breeding Games. Six months have passed since Ollie was kidnapped from the Breeding Center and taken to "The Resort".  Her life had become a life of tests and unknowns.  Would she survive after the birth of her son?
1. The Resort

Ollie

"Gosh Ollie, stop looking at yourself in the mirror. It isn't like you are magically going to morph into someone else." Posy rolled her eyes. She was curled up on a small leather couch next to Ari; the two of them spent the whole morning building a house of cards. They had gotten as high as five levels twice so far, always knocking it down with the breath of their nervous giggles.

I ignore her and continue to stare at my side profile, pulling my shirt tight across my blossoming belly. The best way I can describe it to myself is that it looks like I swallowed a giant ball. My belly button is even threatening to pop inside out. I push my hair aside, the auburn locks falling in waves down my back.

I sigh and join Posy and Ari in the sitting area, picking up a small pile of cards and helping them build up a third level. "How many card houses have we made?"

Posy shrugs. "Hundreds, maybe thousands. I lost count after the first month."

A lot had happened in the six months since we arrived here, kidnapped from District 14 by Garth. We had lost Lectra, had been forced to undergo weekly tests, been held prisoner in this dreary cabin, and most of all, been kept from all we knew and loved with no promise of ever going home.

I missed Stosh. I longed for his touch, for his calming words and kind heart. The people here were so barren of emotion. They rarely smiled and took their work very serious. And as far as I could tell, we were the only children around.

Posy missed Gale. At night she would call out for him in her sleep, thrashing back and forth. Sometimes she would settle quickly, other times I would go and wake her. Let her cry in my arms until she fell back asleep. She looked so much like him, with her dark hair and grey eyes.

Ari rarely spoke. Something tortured her, picked her apart on the inside, but she wouldn't share what. Many nights she woke up screaming and refused to let either Posy or I near her until morning. She was a small, thin girl with short brown hair and milky brown eyes. She was so fragile looking.

And what did we all have in common? We were all pregnant with Stosh's baby.

"Ollie, pay attention! You are going to knock the house over." Posy glares at me. She has become very serious about her card houses lately, I think it helps bring her some normal in our messed up life.

I shrug. "We'll just build another one. This afternoon, tomorrow, the next day, the next week, the next MONTH." I slam my hands on the table, causing the three-story house to fall apart, cards floating to the ground in all different directions.

Ari shakes her head at me and sighs, picking up the fallen cards to start over. Posy's bottom lip trembles. "At least we are doing something other than sulking in front of the mirror all day."

I give her a sarcastic smile and make my way out onto the small balcony. I liked Posy, I really did. We just got on each other's nerves often, which happens when you are stuck under the same roof for six months straight.

I observe the scenery, which is much different than District 14. Instead of mountains and snow our view is of the ocean and sand, and where there is grass, it is thick and coarse. The air is warm and tastes like salt. There are funny looking trees that bend at the tops, with long leaves hanging of the top of them. Under different circumstances I might call this paradise, but right now it is a prison. I have no idea where exactly we are. Except for that short conversation with Garth I was knocked out for the whole trip, as well as Posy, Ari, and Lectra. We have no idea how far we came, but we can at least say that we went south. Far south it would seem. I sit down in a small hanging chair made of rope; one of our attendants called it a "hammock".

I close my eyes and think back to our first day here. How afraid we were, how unsure we were that we would survive the week. We were split up, each given our own room in what appeared to me a Med Unit. We were visited by doctors and nurses, poked and prodded. They asked us endless questions about our previous lives and health. Asked us questions about our pregnancies. They did scans of our abdomens and took amniotic fluid. They issued us linen pants and shirts and shoved us all in this cabin on the beach, where we stay every day.

We are given two hours of free time outside each day. We each are assigned an armed guard and they follow us as we walk on the beach, play in the sand, or wade in the water. We are not allowed to wander more than 100 feet past the property line on either side. At least it is some fresh air, but not enough. The cabin felt stuffy in the warm weather. It was nice, larger than the rooms we had back at the Breeding Center, but the locks on the doors and windows were constant reminders of where we were. It sounded crazy, but I found myself missing the Breeding Center more and more.

I often sat out here wondering what Stosh was doing at this moment. Had he moved on to another girl? Was he looking for me with Peeta and Katniss? Had they given up searching after a month or two? Had they even searched at all? We weren't really important to Panem; we could probably be considered an unfortunate but necessary loss to the cause. The only hope we had was that whatever Garth and the others were doing here could possibly pose a threat to Panem. Because of that we had a chance of being rescued.

Escape was futile, that was proven the first day we arrived. I remember the conversation I had with Garth.

_"Welcome to your new home Miss. Asher, I think you'll find you like it here. It can be quite pleasant, much nicer than that igloo we came from."_

_ I stared at him, wondering what an igloo was. "Call me Ollie."_

_ He gave a hint of a smile. "So we are on a personal level now? Very well Ollie. I just want to let you know a little bit about your new residence. This isn't District 14, and this definitely isn't District 12. You will be expected to cooperate through all tests and studies we chose to put you through. You will be living with the other three girls in a specified location. Don't try to escape. Even if you make it past the locks doors and windows, you won't make it five feet. There are armed guards stationed everywhere. Plus, even if you did make it out of the compound, you would die in the wilderness in a day or two."_

_ He stood and headed to the door. "Now, I need to go pass this information along to your friends."_

_ "They're not my friends." I spat._

_ He laughed and shook his head at me. "I beg to differ Ollie. They will be soon because they are all you have left."_

And he was right. It took a couple of weeks but we all finally opened up to each other. I felt particularly close to Lectra, a tall brown haired girl from District 3. She had freckles all over her skin and big green eyes the color of emeralds. She reminded me a lot of Willow, with her sarcastic humor and positive aspect on life. She assured me that we would be rescued quickly, that Stosh would find his way to me.

In the days before the incident, she opened up about her time with Stosh. I was hesitant to hear her stories but in the end curiosity got the best of me.

_"He loved you Ollie, always remember that. He may have been forced to sleep with Ari, Posy, and me, but it is you he talked about. You he wants to be with for the rest of his life. Our only tie to him are our babies, you have his heart."_

Then it happened, one morning Lectra woke up crying and screaming. There was blood all over her bed and nightclothes. I knew immediately what was happening, I had seen it with my own eyes back at the Breeding Center. Lectra was having a miscarriage. Has we known what would happen next we would have stalled, taken care of her so she had a little while longer.

We called for help and two men from the medical staff arrived. They lifted her onto a hovering table and as they pushed her past she grabbed my hand. "I have nothing to offer them."

It didn't sink in until she was long gone. I banged on the lock cabin door, screaming her name. Of course, no one came. And Lectra never came back. That was over five months ago and it was still burned in all our memories. Posy and I didn't talk about it anymore and since Ari rarely talked, Lectra was forgotten in our conversation, but not in my heart. I couldn't help but wonder about her and where she was. Had they executed her? Were they holding her somewhere? Had they released her? Posy decided that was impossible. If they sent her home she would have information on where we were. She could describe it to the army; tell them about what we are doing here. Garth wouldn't have that. The realization had sent a chill up my spine; they most likely planned to do the same with us.

The balcony door opening brought me back to reality. Posy cleared her throat. "They are here for you."

Of course, today was my dad to undergo check-ups and tests in the Med Center. I followed Posy inside and saw the familiar face if my appointed attendant. He was tall and tan with sun bleached hair and bright blue eyes. Under different circumstances I may have considered him handsome.

"Hello Cruz. Where to today?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Same as always Ollie." His deep voice rang. "Med Center. Hands."

I help up my hands, palms in and wrists touching. He put a glowing blue ring around them, locking my hands together. He motioned for me to move forward and stepped behind me, his hand falling halfway down my back. The gesture made me uncomfortable. It almost felt too intimate.

The Med Center could be reached quickly from our cabin. A long, glass overhang had been built between the two buildings. Just as I did with each trip through the tunnel, I scanned the area outside, taking not of the guard stands and various paths around the compound. I still had hope that Stosh, Gale, Katniss, and Peeta would come and rescue us but just in case they didn't, I had to have a plan as well. Six months I had walked this path, and I still didn't have a good idea of how we could escape. But once these babies were here, we would have no choice. It was like Lectra said. _"I have nothing to offer them."_

Cruz and I walked in silence, as usual. I had tried to make small conversation for the first month or two but he mostly just nodded or grunted, seemingly annoyed with his task to usher me around. He was young, maybe just a year or two older than me, and he seemed to have no interest in his job. At first I thought he could be an asset to helping us escape, but he didn't seem to have interest in much of anything.

We walked into to Med Unit, which was creepily set up just like the one back in the Breeding Center. Except instead of posters of mothers and babies, pamphlets with information, fake plants and decorations, this Med Unit was completely bare. The walls were stark white and the overhead lights a bright yellow. It held the constant smell of bleach.

Cruz walked up to a small silver box and pressed him thumb onto a small screen, just like the one Stosh and I used to access our room back at the Breeding Center. Would I ever stop thinking about that place? About Stosh? I doubted I would, until the day I died.

We stepped into a hall of exam rooms and went right to Room 2, my assigned room. Since there were only four of us, now three, the place didn't need to be very large. There were a few extra exam rooms, which made me wonder if they had planned to bring more than just four of us.

Cruz left me in the room alone; he would come back and escort me to the cabin later in the afternoon, when the doctors and nurses were done with me. I wait a minute or two until a familiar blond nurse entered the room. As far as I knew she was one of three nurses, all blond with blue eyes. A pattern around here. Even Garth ended up having natural blond hair and blue eyes; he claimed his guise from the Breeding Center was to make him seem more like a Capitol citizen. And it worked.

She didn't say anything to me, just worked with a permanent scowl on her head. I got used to not talking with the staff after a month of captivity. Dr. Weaver and Nurse B had been so kind to me, talked me through everything. Here they poked and prodded me with out a word, without asking permission. The nurse, Blondie Number One as I called her, took my blood pressure and checked the baby's heart beat. All of the usual check ups. From here I would be taken to a small exercise room, where they would have me walk on a treadmill for an hour. I remember reading in one of my pamphlets back in the Breeding Center that 30 minutes to an hour of exercise was recommended, so every time we came to the Med Unit here they put us on the treadmill.

But this time Blondie Number One looked up at me and spoke for the first time in awhile. "Wait here, Garth wants to speak with you." Her voice was warm and bubbly, not what I expected.

Butterflies filled up my insides, but not the good time. I rarely saw Garth anymore, he would pop in on me now and again just to smirk at me, say no words. Occasionally I would scream profanities at him and the doctors would shoo him away, accusing him of raising my blood pressure.

Five minutes later the door open and Garth entered. It was still weird to see him looking so _normal_. His hair golden and eyes blue, dressed in a plain black jumpsuit with a white lab coat over top. "Hello Ollie." He gave me a grin.

I didn't smile back, I just stared at him.

He laughed. "I see nothing has changed since the moment you arrived in the Breeding Center. Still stubborn and full of attitude when it comes to authority."

I raise my eyebrow. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was supposed to have respect and politeness for my kidnappers."

He shrugged and took a seat in a gray chair normally reserved for one of the doctors. "You are a little over eight months pregnant Ollie. 34 weeks according to the doctors. Do you understand how close that is?"

"What about it?" I tried to appear defiant but on the inside my resolve was faltering. I remember reading that some babies came at 37 weeks, that was three short weeks away."

Garth smiled. "You and the other two girls have done well over the past six months. You have cooperated with all our tests and not tried once to escape your cabin. But with things drawing to and end, I expect you'll start to get desperate. Posy and Ari are a little over a month behind you in their pregnancies, they have a little more time to get desperate. I wouldn't want you giving them any ideas."

I glared at him. "Afraid I may try and escape Garth?"

"Actually, I believe you may be planning something. But before you carry out yours plans, I want to show you something." He pressed a button on the control panel on the desk and a screen appeared on the wall, an image I recognized.

I gasped. "Is that?"

"District 12?" He said. "Why yes, yes it is."

The picture was of the schoolyard in District 12, where many students ate their lunches on nice days. It looks like a mild spring day; many students sat outside wearing light coats and handmade scarves. Winters could be very long in District 12 so at the first sign of weather like this, people were outside.

Garth walked up to the screen and used his hand to drag the image over and zoom in. At first I couldn't tell what I was looking at, I stood and walked closer to the screen. Almost touching it. I recognized the dark hair and grey eyes immediately. "Stosh!" I whispered. So he was back home in District 12. The relief was shattered by the realization that he wasn't looking for me.

"Give it a moment." Garth said.

I watched as Stosh turned and a smile filled his face. He stood and opened his arms, greeting a blond haired girl with an embrace. _An intimate embrace._ My face felt flushed, I stepped back from the screen.

"Keep watching Ollie, it gets better." Garth's voice was almost a laugh.

Stosh and the girl separated, their hands interlocking. They turned toward the screen and walked back to the school. Suddenly the image on the screen froze and I let out a loud gasp, falling back onto the table. "No…"

Garth was laughing now. "Oh yes Ollie. Stosh has moved on, and to someone you know very, very well. They aren't coming to rescue you Ollie. _We are all you have._"

But I wasn't listening anymore. I was starting at the screen, at the image Garth had frozen there. Stosh and Willow walking hand in hand, smiling at each other. My eyes moved down to Willows stomach, a bump obvious from the way her jacket fell open. What the heck happened in the past six months?


	2. A Plan

I hope everyone found his or her way here! Hopefully with time you all will. ;) I had to have a major suspense cliffhanger in the first chapter, it wouldn't be ME with out it, but don't count Stosh and Willow out yet. A lot has happened in the past six months, more than Garth could have anticipated.

Ollie

I stumbled along the glass tunnel, still trying to catch my breath. It has been coming in shorts rasps since Garth showed me the image of Stosh and Willow together. I was dismissed for the afternoon, told I didn't need to spend an hour on the treadmill. Cruz walked awkwardly next to me, staring at me out of the side of his eyes. Finally he stopped me.

"Are you okay Ollie? Do you need to sit down?" He rested his hand cautiously on my shoulder.

I nodded and leaned up against the glass wall, sliding to the floor. If I could put my head through my knees I would, but my belly had gotten large enough to make reaching my own feet a difficult task. I leaned my head against the cool glass and took deep breaths. In and out. In and out. The dizziness passed quickly.

"Should I call someone?" Cruz's voice sounded nervous, I had never seen his hard exterior diminish like this.

I looked up at him and shook my head. "I'm starting to feel better. Help me up?" I reach my hand out and he took it, pulling me to my feet.

"Thanks." I said through a small smile, noticing that his hand was still in mine. I pulled it away quickly and looked up to find him staring at me, those blue eyes were piercing.

"Are you sure? We can go back to the Med Unit." He kept his voice low.

I shook my head. "I just needed to sit for a moment. I'm better now, I promise. Why would you care anyway?"

He knit his eyebrows together, his voice falling lower. "I don't think you realize how important you are Ollie. Do you know what would happen to me if you weren't kept in prime condition? They would..." He stopped himself and pursed his lips. He had said too much.

I shrugged, trying to appear indifferent, but I couldn't notice how worried he looked for a moment. This wasn't just about Posy, Ari, and me anymore. A lot more than our lives are at stake. I took off toward the cabin and he followed behind me quickly falling back into awkward silence.

He let me into the cabin and I shut the door in his face, falling onto a couch in the sitting room. The movement knocked down another card house and Posy raised her head to scold me but froze when she saw the look on my face.

"What is it Ollie? Is it the baby?" She rushed to my side.

I shook my head and the tears started, pouring down my cheek and onto my linen shirt. I tried to form the words with my mouth but I couldn't seem to speak. Instead I buried my head into Posy's shoulder and let the tears flow.

At some point I fell asleep and Posy left my side, laying my head gently on a pillow. I woke up to the smell of lamb stew and felt my stomach turn. I ran to the bathroom and vomited into the toilet. When I stood to wash my face in the sink I found Posy standing behind me. "First time we have had lamb stew since the Breeding Center. It is the best food they have given us so far, better than the normal rough meat and salty dinner rolls."

I nod. Garth was sending me a message, letting me know he was still in control. That he didn't want me to get any ideas. "He sent it for me. It is the soup I ordered for lunch the day we were kidnapped."

Her mouth rounded. "Ohh." She sighed and moved into the bathroom, leaning against the wall. "What happened today Ollie?"

I shrugged and looked at my feet; afraid my emotions would take over again. She moved across the room and rested her hand on my shoulder. "Please tell me Ollie, we all need to remember to stick together here. We are family now."

I looked up at her and nodded. "Garth showed me a video from home."

Posy's breath caught in her throat. "District 12?"

"Yes. And Stosh." I barely managed to say his name.

Posy was silent for a moment. "Stosh is back home?"

I tried to swallow the lump forming in my throat but it wasn't going anywhere. "Home, and with Willow."

I had told the girls a lot about Willow since we arrived here, Posy would have known her from school. "So they both got sent home. I wonder if the Breeding Center was shut down. No, Garth would have said something."

I shook my head. "That isn't it Posy. They were… they were together. Like, holding hands together."

I looked up to meet her shocked expression. "No way. I don't believe it. Stosh was madly, _is_ madly, in love with you."

"I saw it with my own two eyes Posy. It was District 12, I am sure of it."

She frowned. "Maybe he forged the video?"

I shook my head again. "It looked so real Posy. The school, the schoolyard, the students… Willow was pregnant. Maybe about as far along as you."

Posy wrapped me into a hug. "I'm sorry Ollie."

My bottom lip trembled but I held the tears in, took control of my emotions. A new emotion was welling up inside of me, a new plan forming. One I couldn't talk about until free time tomorrow.

The next day I went about business as usual. After breakfast I built card houses with Posy and Ari. After lunch I sat on the hammock and stared out over the ocean, waiting for free time to start. And when our attendants came knocking at the door, I casually followed Posy and Ari onto the beach. Cruz eyed me carefully today, looking for signs I may have another panic attack.

I stretch my arms into the air and take a deep breath of fresh air. "Want to wade in the low tide, look for shells?" A few months ago those words would have meant nothing to me but we started to pick up new words and phrases from the attendants.

Posy and Ari's attendants were Cruz's age, and had the same blond hair and piercing blue eyes, they also happened to be identical twins. I had only ever met one other pair of identical twins, and they were a few years older than me, already out of school and working in the mines. The attendant's names were Holden and Hunter, and I could never really tell which was which. I also had a feeling they never really stuck to their assigned subject, switching between Posy and Ari as they felt fit.

Posy and Ari follow me to the surf, they picked up on my clam demeanor all morning, knew I needed to talk. Cruz stood on guard on the sand, watching us carefully. Holden and Hunter sat a little ways down, alternating between watching us and letting their feet sink into the wet sand.

I leaned down and began sifting through the sand, putting on a show of looking for shells. Posy and Ari followed my example, going as far as to pull a few from their hands and tuck them into their pants. We weren't allowed to bring the shells back to the cabin but something Holden and Hunter would keep them. Right now they wore necklaces of shells around their neck, many of the shells we had found on our free time.

"It has to happen soon." I said to the rippling ocean.

Posy eyed a big, pink shell. "What?"

Ari turning her back to me, digging at the ocean floor with her toes.

"We need to get out of here." I tossed a few broken shells back into the water.

Posy let out a laugh and showed me a shell she found, I gave her a thumbs up. "Yeah, right…"

I crumbled up a fragile shell in my hand. "I'm serious Posy. We are nearing the end of our pregnancies; they aren't going to have much need for us when the babies get here. Just like they didn't have need for Lectra once she was with out child…"

Posy winced at the sound of her name. "You don't know that Ollie. They will need us to nurture the babies. Feed them and stuff, like our moms did for us. You can replicate that in a lab."

I shrug. "They had plans to do it in District 15. Although, no one really knew much about District 15."

She nods. "Right, like we don't know much about this place." She hands me a dark grey shell and I note how much the color is like Stosh's eyes. "And anyway, how do you plan to get away? Wobble through the woods while strong men chase you on foot? Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?"

I smile at the picture. "Who said I plan to go on foot?" I shove the grey shell into my pocket and splash the cool water on my back, the warm sun heating up my linen shirt.

Posy raises her eyebrow. "We have seen one, maybe two, hovercrafts since arriving here. And you plan to steal it?"

I sigh. "Look, I didn't say it was a good plan, at least I have one."

We spend a few more minutes digging through shells and take a pile back to our attendants. "Here boy!" I yell, dropping them at their feet. "Good haul today, we'll have to go and get another group." I gave them my best smile and turned, Posy at my side.

"Okay Miss. Genius. What is your great plan?" She asks, an annoyed tone in her voice.

I smile at her. "How good are you at being seductive Posy?"

She raises an eyebrow. "I'll let you know once you tell me what I'll be doing."

"I think it is time we get a little more information out of the golden boys over there." I give a nod toward Holden and Hunter, who are looking at the shells we brought in.

"I guess, we would probably need Ari's help too but I doubt we'll get any." We both looked up at her. Ari was twenty feet away, sifting through clumps of wet sand to find shells. She was obviously not interested in whatever we were going to do. "What do you need me to do?"

I give a smile that shows my teeth, a rare one at that. "I want to know how many hovercrafts there are and when they leave. I know they have to go get supplies each week so they leave on a schedule."

She bites her lip. "What if they suspect something?"

I shrug. "Play dumb?"

She giggles. "That I can do, better than being seductive."

"Good. A little bit of both may get us somewhere. Now get to work." I give Posy a little shove and she wades out of the water and over to Holden and Hunter. I stretch my arms into the air again. Bending over with my swollen belly has become a chore. I turn and notice that Cruz is watching me with a smirk on his face. Could he have figured out what we were talking about? I doubt it. I give him a wave and a big smile. I waddle his way, walking has gotten quite difficult lately.

"Enjoying the view Cruz?" He startles a moment and I motion behind me. "You know, the ocean and the bright blue sky." Maybe Posy isn't the only one who can get information.

He shrugs. "I'm used to it. I've basically grown up on this beach."

This is the first time he has told me anything about himself other than his name. Usually all he does is tell me where to go and when. "Must have been nice."

"I guess so. The Resort can get a little boring at times."

I laugh. "The Resort?"

He answers with a smirk. "That is what they call this place? You have been here six months and you haven't picked that up yet?"

I frown. "We aren't people to them Cruz, just experiments. They rarely talk to us let alone let us know where we are. It doesn't matter anyway, we won't be here in a few months."

His body tenses. "Planning a get-a-way?"

I laugh. "Yeah, right. You think I am getting past those armed guards?" I had to be more careful. "I am talking about how once these babies are born, there won't be a need for us anymore." I take my finger and slowly move it across my neck, as if it is a knife.

He looks at me with a frustrated expression on his face. "Is that what you think? That they plan to get rid of you after the babies are here?"

I shrug. "You tell me."

He laughs, but it sounds forced. "I don't know as much as you think I do, Ollie. I'm only here because my mom and dad work in the Med Center. All I am told is that I am supposed to follow you around and keep you out of trouble."

I step closer to him. "So you never get to leave?

"Well, sometimes I get to ride on the hovercrafts when they go…" He stops. "Sometimes I just leave, okay." He looks like he wants to step away from me. I take another step closer, leaving half a foot between us.

"Good, you look like you like a little adventure. It is good that they let you out."

He tries to keep my gaze but I can tell he is getting uncomfortable. "I have free will, Ollie. I come and go as I please."

"Okay Cruz. I just didn't pin you as someone who would use his free will to follow a bunch of pregnant teenage girls around all day." I turn and walk away from him, smirking. This was going better than I had planned out. It was much easier to manipulate and connive when I wasn't sitting around moping all day. I walked twenty yards away and found a flat spot on the sand. I lay down and close my eyes, letting the warm sun beat down on my skin.

Today was turning out to be great. We went from six months of robotic schedules to a spontaneous plan. I even got Cruz to finally talk to me, although mostly I ignored him, so maybe he would have talked to me before. I hoped the Posy was having luck with the twins, we needed more information and they would give it out easier than Cruz. Things were looking up. I needed to leave, and I need to leave soon. I needed to get back to District 12 before the baby came. I needed to go win Stosh back.


	3. Unexpected Alli

Katniss and Peeta will be back, no worries! Also, I am trying to piece this story together better since there were some open ends in The Breeding Games, so it is going a little slower as I go back through my writing and read. Glad you are all enjoying it. To answer someone's question, it will probably be addressed later, but the three attendants are 18. Not much different from Gale and Katniss, since Ollie has turned 17 in The Resort.

Ollie

We went on like this for a week, sifting through the sand for shells and prying small pieces of information from the attendants. Each day we would report their findings while they waded in the water. Ari continued to be indifferent, listening in at times and wandering away at others. I assumed she would take action and help us, but considering she didn't talk much, she really couldn't get information for us.

Posy pulled her arm back and chucked a clump of sand about ten yards. "You know, being seductive is tiring when you are pregnant."

I laugh. "And wrong."

She nods. "I don't think Hunter and Holden see it that way though. I think they like the company. They are probably the youngest non-prisoners here, you know?"

"I believe it. Anything new to report?"

She smiles. "The hovercrafts leave on Sunday and come back in on Tuesday, every week. One trip per week."

I nod. So far we had figured out that there were actually four hovercrafts at the compounds. Three of them were used for supply runs, the other one was kept for emergency purposes and shuttling spies to and from Districts. It had most likely been the craft that we were brought in on.

"Well, today is Friday, which means have less than two days to act."

Posy's eyes widened. "We are going to do this next week! Do you even have a plan?"

I frowned. "Not really Posy, this is where Stosh would come in handy. But it has to be this weekend." I place my hand on my belly and feel a familiar nudge back. "I'm running out of time. We all are"

"Sunday during free time." A small voice behind us says.

Neither of us had seen Ari come up behind us, she was good at sneaking that way. Her head was aimed at the water but her eyes peered up at us. "I'll create a distraction."

My mouth hangs open for a moment. "That seems good an all Ari, but what if you don't make it to the hovercraft on time?" I stare at her for a moment before I realize. Posy catches on at the same time.

"No…" Posy blurts out. "I won't let you."

Ari looked between the two of us. "I have nothing back home."

A look crossed her face, a look I recognize all too well. That look, a look I remembered from my childhood. I had seen it on the faces of many of the children's in the Seam. Children as young as I had been, starving and sick. The look of those who had lost the willpower to live. Those who had no fight left in them.

Posy crossed her arms. "You can't sacrifice yourself Ari. What about your baby?"

Ari shrugs. "He or she will be okay. They won't do anything to me until after the baby is born."

I wince. Do what to her? "Ari, you don't have to this. We can figure something else out."

She shrugs. "In two days Ollie? Look, I know I haven't opened up much before and keep quiet, but please. Let me do this. I need to." And with that she turned and headed back to shore.

"This isn't right." Posy turned her back to me and walked a few feet away from me, moving the ocean floor around with her foot. I dropped the shells I'd collected back into the water, watching them disappear quickly into the brown murk. I waded back to the shore and threw myself down on the sand, frustrated. This morning we barely had a plan, and now we had a somewhat good start on one. The only problem is that it consisted of sacrificing Ari.

I felt him approach and sit down, his body shading my face from the sun. "Shell collecting is rough work, huh?"

I squint and see Cruz sitting next to me. He is wearing his standard black fitted shirt and black pants, as all of the attendants and guards wear. For the first few months he had a gun holstered to his side but after awhile he stopped wearing it. We weren't going anywhere and even if we tried, he would have caught us all before we could get off the beach. I had occasionally seen him running down the beach from my hammock on the porch. He could move, and fast.

I sit up and lean back on my arms. "Not too bad. The usual. You can only collect so many pink and grey shells."

He rests his arms on his knees, his eyes gazing out over the ocean. "Be careful Ollie."

My voice catches in my throat. "Excuse me?"

He peers at me for a quick moment and then looks back over the water. "You wouldn't want to get hurt."

I gulp.

"You know, from all those broken shells."

I nod my head. He was covering for me, but his words had other meaning. At least I thought so. Did he know what we were up to? Even if he did figure we were planning something, he could never have heard what the plan was.

He smirks at me. "I would hate to see you get hurt."

I jump up and brush the sand off my legs. We were issue linen shorts for our free time. "Yeah, it only takes one prick to ruin it all." I walk away from him smiling.

It wasn't until later, as I sit on the hammock watching the sunset, that I started to feel bad about what I said to Cruz. What had I become in the last six months? At first I lived in a haze, staring in the mirror and robotically attending tests. Then something changed. Garth showed me that video of Stosh and Willow. He had hoped it would make me lose hope but instead it sparked a fire. Even if things back home could never be the same I wanted nothing more than to beat Garth at his own game. Show him that he wasn't always running the show.

I just hoped my anger and resentment didn't take over. That I didn't completely change as a person by the time I got back to District 12. But in reality, I was not the same person I was before The Breeding Center. And the scarier part was that I was the not the same person from The Breeding Center. The scared girl who would hide in a closet and cry. The girl madly in love with Stosh. I still loved him but the question was, did he still love me? Did he think I was dead? Did he move on? And why was Willow back home with him? Shouldn't she be back in The Breeding Center with Coda?

So many questions that needed answers, and I planned to get those answers as soon as I escaped this place. I ran my fingers along the rope in the hammock, savoring the feel. I would need to figure out how to get one of these in District 12, perhaps I could make one. The view may not be as beautiful, but it will be home.

I ran over ideas in my head. If Ari made a big enough distraction she could lead many of the guards away from the hovercrafts, where ever that may be, and Posy and I could make a run for them. The only problem was, running was quite a chore these days. Thankfully exercising on the treadmill had kept our endurance up, but our bellies still forced more of a waddle. I figured even if none of this worked, we could at least say we tried. I had no idea how to fly a hovercraft though. I could get us all killed.

The balcony door slid open beside me and Posy stepped onto the porch. "We are going to build a card house." I stand, hearing the desperation in her voice. In a few days everything would change. No more card houses, possibly no more us. We built for two hours until lights out, getting as high as six stories. We laughed, even Ari, and had fun. Tried to separate ourselves from where we were and act like teenage girls. We deserved just a little of that.

Tomorrow would be our last planning meeting during free time. I had to come up with something, and something big. I had seen the layout of the guard stations through the glass tunnel, saw the easiest way off the beach, and no knew the hovercraft schedule. All we needed was to know where the hovercrafts were kept.

Sleep came easy. I was amazed at how at peace I was, especially since I was about to put my life on the line. My life and the life of my unborn son. What choice did I have though? Staying here was a danger to all of us. And my baby boy, who would become an experiment to them. He didn't understand pain or madness yet, and he shouldn't have to. If there was any chance I could protect him from that, I would.

In the morning I awoke to a day full of possibilities. On Saturdays we got free time in the morning and the afternoon. We sped through breakfast and waited patiently for our attendants to arrive, anxious to begin our planning. The door open and Holden and Hunter walked in, flanked by Cruz. Business as usual.

"Change of plans girls." Cruz smirked. "You are wanted in the Med Center."

Posy looked at me, panic in her eyes. All of our plans just went out the window, and possibly our escape. This couldn't be good. We were never called into the Med Unit as a group, and definitely not on Saturdays.

I noticed the boys all had their gun holsters back on, and they each held a shiny, black handgun. They each held blue bands and we automatically held our hands out to be secured. Next they held up black bags and put them over our heads.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Posy shrieked.

Ari muffled a sob.

Someone shushed her.

This had never been apart of the routine. Had Garth found out about our plans? Had Cruz really heard what we were saying out in the water and relayed it to him? I suddenly felt very afraid but a hard kick from the little boy inside my abdomen reminded me that they still needed me. He wasn't ready to come.

A strong hand grasped my arm and pulled me forward, I assumed the same was happening to Posy and Ari. Even with out my sight I recognized the familiar steps into the glass tunnel. No one spoke; the only sound was our breathing. The hand, I assumed it belonged to Cruz, pulled me forward as I waddled to keep up.

The hand released me and I heard a beeping in front of me. I felt a cool breeze on my arms and froze. We were going outside of the tunnel. We never left the tunnel, always straight into the Med Unit and then back to our room. The only time we spent outside was on the small beach. The hand grabbed my arm again and pulled me forward.

Footsteps. "Hey, what are you doing Cruz?" A male voice asked.

Cruz spoke from my side. "We received orders to bring them to the main office. That's why they are masked."

Silence then, "Who gave these orders?"

"My dad." Cruz spat.

More silence. "Well, move along then. Did you make sure those masks were secure?"

Cruz must have answered with a nod because suddenly we were moving forward again. We went what I estimated to be a hundred yards and stopped suddenly.

The grip on my arm tightened and suddenly Cruz breath was in my ear. "You do what I say, okay? No resisting."

I nodded, not able to find the words. Was this about calling him a name yesterday? I felt so weak. Here I had planned to try and escape and I could barely handle being led across the compound by my attendant. What was I thinking? My plan never would have worked? But at least I hadn't failed, I hadn't had the chance. This was it. Something bad was coming, I could feel it.

Someone was running toward us. "Hey, I just talked to Garth…" the same male voice from before.

Gunfire.

Ari screamed. Posy screamed. I tried to scream but nothing came out.

Cruz kept a hold on my arm and dragged me forward. I could hear Posy crying. No sound from Ari. I could hear Holden and Hunter shushing them. Cruz's pace was at a job now and I struggled to keep up. The world got darker and I realized we had stepped into a building. The mask was removed from my head and I struggled to focus.

We were in a large building, large industrial lights hung above. A hangar. I took in the four hovercrafts parked in the large room. We were standing to the side of one, the door opening wide as Cruz pressed buttons on the side. I gave him a wide-eyed look.

"What…"

"I'm helping you get out of here. Now are you going to get on the hovercraft or not?"


	4. Rescue Team

Katniss

Six months, one week, and three days.

That's how long it had been since Ollie, Posy, Ari, and Lectra were kidnapped from The Breeding Center. The best way to describe the days that followed: Chaos.

Security was tripled. The children were on lock down kept in their rooms for days; even meals were served to them there. President Paylor was rushed back to the Capitol until District 14 could be secured. Stosh, Willow, and Coda were called into the Command Center and given orders to go home. They were released.

Stosh had lunged at Gale, swinging his fists.

_"They have Ollie and you are sending me _home_?" We have to go after them! We have spent enough time sitting around on lockdown, who knows where they are now."_

_ Gale sat in his chair in Command Center, staring at Stosh calmly. "Remember Stosh, they have my sister too. You don't think I'm doing everything I can to get her back?"_

_ Stosh whimpered. "Let me go. I can't lose her."_

_ "You need to go home Stosh." Gale wasn't giving an option, it was a command._

The guards had dragged Stosh from the Command Center screaming. He had to be drugged to get to the hovercraft; Willow and Coda joined them looking solemn. We met them in the hangar to say goodbye, Willow and Coda were clinging to each other, knowing this was it. They would be sent to separate Districts.

I looked had taken Willow's hand and looked her in the eye. _"Tell Stosh we won't stop fighting. We'll get her back."_

And here they sat in Command Center, still coming up with a plan.

Six months, one week, and three days later.

"How is Stosh holding up?" Gale asked, peering in his coffee cup. He had lost about ten pounds recently, black bags hung under his eyes. He was overworking himself, trying to keep the Breeding Center in order and looking for his sister.

Peeta sat next to me, his hand on my knee. "He is doing as well as expected."

Gale looked up. "Is he following through?"

I nodded. "He is following the plan just as we told him, but I think it is wearing him thin. He is losing patience."

Gale clenched his jaw. "Aren't we all?"

Peeta squeezed my knee. "Any updates from the search team?"

Gale's eye brightened a little, as much as the dark grey could. "Actually, that is why I asked you up here today. The search team thinks they have located the compound where the girls are being held."

I leaned forward. "That's good! Right?"

He shrugged. "In one sense, yes. We obviously have more firepower and resources than they do. I just… I haven't told President Paylor yet. I have given the search team orders to explore further and continue to report back to me. I am afraid that if we tell her she will want to attack, go in for the kill. I can't let that happen.

I frowned. I understood why he was keeping it secret. Of course President Paylor would attempt to rescue the girls, but he main target would be the compound and the scientists and doctors that betrayed the Capitol. If it came to it, she would consider the girls a necessary loss. But Gale couldn't bare losing Posy.

"So what are we going to do?" I asked.

The corner of his mouth lifted up into a small smirk. "We are going to attempt a rescue on our own. I have put together two small teams of volunteers, people willing to help us. I'll lead one and Peeta will lead the other." He glanced at me. "You'll be staying here and guiding us from a designated control room.

I jumped to my feet and slammed my hands on the table. "No way you are leaving me here. You need me out there Gale, and you know it." I looked at Peeta.

Peeta sighed. "As much as I hate to say this, she is right Gale. She will be a great asset. But she goes on my team." He tried to make a joke of it but the warning was there. He and Gale had become friends over the last several months, but Peeta was still cautious of him.

Gale leaned back in his chair. "Then who will help run things here?"

I smirked. "I have an idea."

Thirty minutes later I returned to the room. "He is going to catch a supply hovercraft here tomorrow. Should be here by Monday. "

Peeta let out a moan. "I don't think this is a good idea Katniss. He isn't exactly stable."

"He is all we have." I sit back down in my seat. "Tell us more about this rescue plan Gale."

Gale nods and leans forward. He presses a button on the control panel attached to the table and a large screen appears in the middle. On it is a hologram map of Panem. Each District is clearly labeled. Fifteen districts all represented by a floating blue ball. In the far right corner, as far southeast as the map goes, is a giant question mark.

I reach forward as if to touch it. "Is that where they are?" I look up at Gale.

"As far as we can tell, yes."

Peeta seems memorized by the question mark. "I thought that area of Panem was deemed uninhabitable. Filled with wild beasts, sinking ground, and other nightmares."

Gale shrugs. "Perhaps they were wrong. It is about a three-day trip to the search teams location by hovercraft. Once there they estimate a day's walk on foot. We will by hovercraft tomorrow morning. I'll leave one of my men in charge until Monday."

I knit by eyebrows together. "Why so soon? Do we even have a plan?"

"Because we are running out of time." Gale takes a sip from his coffee mug. "Ollie's file shows that she is due in a little over five weeks. She is full term in less than three weeks. Posy and Ari won't be following far behind." He paused, distant for a moment.

Peeta and I knew the truth about his past now. His wife and little girl being killed in a mining accident. Originally Peeta thought had made it up to get closer to me but he hadn't. He hadn't opened up about it since the first day he told me, but every now and then I would see him stare off into space or look longingly at a pregnant girl walking the halls.

Everyone girl in District 14 was pregnant now. Hundreds had been sent home after not being able to conceive, along with their partners. There were now 1,810 children. 905 of them being pregnant girls. And several of them were very close to having babies, another reason Gale needed to get back soon. Things were hazy about District 15, plans still being put into place.

Peeta and I still had not had the chance to tour it. After the kidnapping we stayed to help bring order back to the Breeding Center. We left for District 12 after that, visiting with friends for a month. From there we traveled around Panem, meeting with the families of the kids we had met in District 14. Sharing stories and giving parents hope that their children were being treated well. President Paylor had pushed the documentary back until the one-year anniversary. She made a special address stating that she wanted to include District 15 as well. Most of Panem bought it, most too busy to care. 1,810 didn't make up a large portion of the population, but there were still grieving families and friends in each District.

We had arrived back in District 14 two months ago and went back to counseling, helping in the Command Center when needed. One of our main tasks had been counseling Lectra, one of the girls who had been captured by Garth. She had wandered out of the wilderness and into District 4. A fishing crew had spotted her in the early morning and Peacekeepers had taken her into custody. President Paylor sent her straight to District 14, hoping she could help our search. But she couldn't. Lectra's tongue had been cut out, a practice that used to be widely used in the Capitol. They had been called Avoxes.

We tried getting her to scribe us information but she refused to pick up the pencil. Her hands trembled and she looked constantly on the verge of tears. Currently she spent most of her day in her room, curled up on the chair on her balcony. Her gaze was always distant, as if she wasn't seeing the snow covered mountains but something else. Gale wanted us to keep working with her, hoping she would give in. But something horrible had happened to her. The worst part for Peeta and I had been finding out that Lectra was no longer pregnant. Whether she miscarried or Garth forced it, we may never know.

Gale's voice snapped me out of my daydream. "We'll split into teams and form a plan once we are there. The three of us have been in similar situations before."

We all nodded, thinking back to the Rebellion. We had been so young, the same age as Stosh and Ollie. This would most likely be simpler. I doubted there were killer pods in the ground and hundreds of Peacekeepers shooting. "This won't be easy, but we can handle it." I say.

Gale shrugs. "Who knows, maybe it will be. Maybe they figured we wouldn't find them until it was too late. Maybe the other girls would have come wandering into the Districts as well, baby-less. We could just be one step ahead."

I sigh. "It is always more complicated than that Gale. Garth has already proved to be dangerous, manipulative, and smart."

Peeta takes my hand and nods. "We should be prepared for anything. But we do have one thing, training for war. I wouldn't be surprised if they had armed guards and tricks up their sleeves though."

Gale nods. "The search team is currently working on that, seeing if they can scope out anything near the compound. Hopefully they'll have good information for us once we arrive." He stands and stretches. "Get some sleep tonight, it is going to be a long week."

But Peeta and I had no plans of getting a ton of sleep. We planned on being together, spending the night in each other's embrace. Past experience told us not to take for granted our time together, that anything could happen in the upcoming battle. It would be a battle. That we were sure of. These people had gone above and beyond to acquire what they wanted; they weren't going to lose it with out a fight.

Peeta fell into a deep sleep in the early hours the morning but I lay awake. Thinking about Ollie, and Posy, and Ari. Where were they right now? Were they still alive? Were their babies still alive? Were they scared? Were they being taken care of? So many questions I wanted answers to. I finally fell asleep with a dozen more questions on my mind.


	5. On The Run

Ollie

I collapsed onto the ground, coughing the smoke from my lungs. I looked around me but I couldn't see more than a foot in front of me.

"Posy! Ari!" I screamed. "Cruz!" I coughed again. The smoke was getting thicker; I need to move away from the wreck. I scooted on my side, trying to protect my stomach as best as I could. My left ankle had been injured and I was having trouble putting weight on it. I put my arm over my mouth, trying to block out that poisonous soot.

Everything had been going well. Cruz obviously knew how to handle the hovercraft and I had hopes we would be home soon. Posy and Ari had been strapped in between Holden and Hunter. Just as we flew past the last guard tower things went horribly wrong. They must have had a special radar because despite the stealth mode, they carefully aimed and shot at us.

Cruz did the best he could to control the hovercraft but the damage had been done. The fuel was leaking and the right wing was badly damaged. We made five miles before we went down. Cruz tried to land us as smoothly as possible but the vegetation was thick and we skidded through the brush, finished with two rolls. The hovercraft went up in flames soon after the crash and I had dragged myself out of it. I hoped the others had been as fortunate to get away.

I got onto my hands and knees now, doing my best to continue through the brush. The smoke was still surrounding me, but it was thinner, more bearable. My hand sunk into a puddle, no, a pond. I could see clearer now. I ripped part of my sleeve off and soaked it in the water, putting it into my mouth. I had seen people doing this the day the Capitol bombed District 12. People who had run back into town to save family members. People who had never returned.

The smoke was receding a bit, rising into the sky. I could almost make out the hovercraft; the fire was much smaller than it has been when the car first caught fire. Most of the fuel had poured out of the hole the bullet made in the tank, and that probably saved our lives. Well, my life. I didn't know the fate of the others yet.

"Ollie! OLLIE!" A voice called from the distance. I saw Cruz stumbling toward me. I felt sudden relief at his survival. I barely knew him but I couldn't help but smile.

I waved my arms in the air. "Cruz! Over here."

He spotted me and rushed over, falling to my side. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" His blue eyes met mine and then he looked me over.

"I think I messed up my ankle but other than that, no. The others?"

He shrugged. "I came looking for you first. Are you okay to stay here?"

I nodded and watched as he stood and headed back toward the wreckage. A small butterfly feeling fluttered around in my stomach. He had come searching for me first? Did Cruz like me? I shook my head. _You're with Stosh, Ollie. Don't be stupid._

I waited by the edge of the pond, watching as the flames grew smaller and smaller, smoke rising up in a plume. A plume of smoke that would give our location away. I had been so hopeful the moment we stepped onto the hovercraft and Cruz jumped right into the cockpit, flying like a professional. Now we would surely be caught and dragged back to The Resort. And who knows what they would do with the boys. Maybe we could convince them we took them hostage.

_Deep breath Ollie._

Cruz appeared around the front of the burning hovercraft, a limp Posy in his arms. Behind him Hunter and Holden helped a coughing Ari through the wreckage. They made their way toward me and dropped to the ground. Cruz sat down with Posy in his lap, she was unconscious. At least, I hoped.

"What wrong with her?" I squeaked, my throat still burning.

He shook his head. "I think she hit her head on impact. She is still breathing though." He turned her head toward me and I could see a big welt on her forehead, already turning a nasty shade of purple.

"We have to move." Holden coughed, a frightened looking Ari clinging to his side. "They'll see this smoke from the compound, come looking for us."

Cruz nodded. "I'll have to carry Posy. Holden you stick with Ari, Hunter, help Ollie walk. She hurt her ankle."

We moved quickly through the brush, quicker than I would have liked. I clutched my belly, willing my baby to be okay. He still hadn't moved since the crash. I wondered how Posy and Ari's babies were doing. I wanted to call out to them but my throat still burned, we could talk when we got far away from this mess.

We pushed through the brush for twenty minutes, making too much noise and making an easily followed path in our wake. Up ahead there was a wooded area, who knows how big, that would work for shielding us.

"Over there!" Cruz pointed.

That's when the hovercraft appeared behind us, coming out of seemingly now where. I screamed and moved faster, Hunter pulled me behind him. If we got to the trees we would be temporarily safe, they would have to enter on foot. Cruz took off running with Posy in his arms, pulling ahead of us all. I was trying to be as careful as I could but I tripped over a small rock. Hunter turned to grab me and as he lifted me I saw the hovercraft pulling overhead, a large claw coming down.

Before I could do anything Ari jumped over me and helped Hunter lift me. She stood there, willing the claw to come her way.

"Ari run!" I screamed.

She glanced back at me and I knew. Knew that this would be her sacrifice. We thought she was safe; thought she made is clear with us. But we were wrong.

"No." I mouthed.

She smiled at me just as the claw grabbed hold of her. "I have to. Good luck Ollie. Now run!" She yelled. The claw lifted her up off the ground, Holden stood behind her staring in shock.

"Run Holden!" Hunter screamed. He abandoned me and reached for his brother pulling him out of the way.

Suddenly I was lifted off the ground by strong arms. Cruz had come back for me and was sprinting towards the woods; Posy lay in the shade a few yards in. Holden and Hunter ran behind us. We slid into the woods just as the hovercraft pulled up behind us. It stopped pursuit at the trees and disappeared in the air.

"They'll be back." Cruz said through heavy breathing. "Now they know where we are. We have to keep moving."

"To where?" I yelled. "We have no idea where we are!"

He stared at me wide eyes. I was obviously losing it. This had all been a bad idea. If we had managed to escape with out the boys we would probably be worse off.

The sobs came on fast, rocking my body. I slid to the ground, leaning against the tree. I covered my eyes with my arms and let the tears come, flowing off my arms, down my cheeks, and onto my torn shirt.

Cruz spoke above my sobs. "Take Posy to the hideout, quickly."

I heard the shuffling of feet as they picked up Posy. Their footsteps headed off to the right and grew further and further away.

I felt Cruz slid next to me on the ground. He wrapped his arms around me, his warm breath against my cheek. "It will be okay Ollie. I promise. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

The embrace was intimate but I allowed it. It felt good to have comforting arms around me again. It felt great to have someone taking care of me again. I pulled my face back from my arms and wiped at the tears.

"You must think I am crazy." I sniffed.

He smiled. "Nah, you are just scared, and rightly so. But we need to move, Ollie. Do you trust me?" He stood and extended his hand to me.

I nodded. "I do." He helped me up, supporting me on my weak side. My ankle still throbbed but it was already starting to feel better.

We moved slowly through the woods. "Where are we going?" I asked. He had mentioned a hideout to the twins.

"The hideout. A few years back Hunter, Holden, and I spent the day hiking out this way. We found a large tree with the branches jutting out in all directions and decided to build a tree house in it. It was going to be our special place, where we could get away. We came this far so our parents would never find it. Back then they let us wander where we wanted to go, now we are put to work and kept close."

I smiled. "Not anymore. You are free now."

He shrugged, which caused the left side of my body to rise and fall slightly. "We aren't free yet. We have a long way to go."

We came up to a large tree and it was just like Cruz explained it. The branches jutted out in all directions, leaving a big opening in the middle. I couldn't see a tree house though. Suddenly Holden's head popped from the middle. "Hey, hurry up. They'll be back on foot soon!"

Cruz put his arms around my waist and lifted me into the air, just far enough for Holden to grab my arms and pull me up. He lifted me carefully up into the tree and I looked around me, shocked at what they had managed to build.

The center of the tree had formed sort of a crater and they had lined it with wood planks on the side and in the middle. They had set up a small table and chairs, and a wooden bench sat to one side. Makeshift wood steps had been made up some of the branches, the ones you couldn't easily see from the ground. Past those steps were mini platforms you could climb and use as lookouts or just as personal space.

Cruz came up behind me. "It isn't much, but they won't find us on foot."

I turned to look at him. "This is really neat. You guys did a great job."

Holden laughed. "Cruz did most of the work, he is handy one. We were just there to hold the wood in place while he hammered away." He winked at Cruz.

The forest grew suddenly quiet, the birds and animals becoming still. "Hovercraft." I whispered.

Cruz mentioned for us all to lay flat. I lay on my back, since I could no longer lie on my stomach, and looked up at the trees. The sun came down in a curious pattern; I could almost make out shapes in the patches of light.

Footsteps and voiced sounded in the distance. A gruff voice yelled out. "You'll never get away Cruz. Turn yourself in now!" The footsteps grew closer.

"They had to make it further than this." A female voice said.

"The closest District is a four to five day walk, and they were injured, so I would say a week for them. They won't survive that long with out food and water. Let's search to the clearing, radio the hovercraft and tell them to make a pass on the other side of the woods. If we don't find them now, their bodies will show up soon enough." The gruff voice again.

"Garth isn't going to be happy." The female squeaked.

"Yeah, well if it wasn't for his nephew we wouldn't be looking for them in the first place." Another male voice piped in.

I turned my head to look at Cruz but he was looking the opposite direction, mouthing something to Hunter.

We laid in silence for the rest of the afternoon. Long after the footsteps had faded away and long after the hovercraft disappeared and the animals came to life again. A gentle snoring came from the twins who had fallen asleep. Posy was still knocked out, which made me nervous. I turned to face Cruz.

"Thanks." I whispered.

"For what?"

"For risking your life for us."

He smiled and took my hand. "I have this feeling you are worth it."


	6. Home

This chapter is a little all over the place, so bear with me!

**Peeta**

I knew that calling Stosh would be a mistake, but we owed it to him to keep him updated. Ever since Ollie was taken he had given me a cold shoulder. He blamed me for not saving her, and I let him, he needed someone to be mad at.

"Stosh, you know we can't do that." I said into the phone.

"If you don't bring me with you I'll leave District 12 and try to follow on my own. I'll probably get lost, maybe even killed." He yelled back.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. He was acting childish. "I'll let the Peacekeepers know to be watching you, that you'll try to escape."

He laughed on the other end. "Let them try and stop me. I'll fight back, you know I will."

I groaned. "I'll talk to Gale and Katniss."

"Of course you will." He hung up.

Katniss looked at me from the couch, eyeing me carefully. I turned to her and shook my head. "Stosh wants to come with us on the mission."

Her mouth hung open. "No. Way. It is too dangerous, he'll just get in the way."

I shrugged. "He is threatening to run away and look on his own, or cause a disturbance in town. I think he is serious."

"Of course he is. He loves her."

I sit next to her and wrap my arm around her. "I would have done the same for you, you know." I kissed her gently on the cheeked.

She leaned up against me. "I know. Let's talk to Gale."

We found Gale sitting in the Command Center, going over last minute details for our trip. He looked up when he saw us coming and closed his binder. "Let me guess. The lovesick boyfriend wants to tag along?"

I sat down in my usual spot. "How did you know?"

He laughed. "He called up here a minute ago, yelling at me through the phone. I hung up on him long before he was finished."

Katniss leaned on the table. "He has the number to the Command Center."

Gale nodded. "I gave it to him, in case he ever wanted to talk. We both lost someone we loved in the kidnapping."

"What do you think?" I asked.

"Let's bring him along, we are going to have to at this rate. He'll make a scene and blow our cover. Anyway, his rage might make for a good diversion when we break into the compound to rescue the girls."

Katniss glared at him. "You mean throw him onto the front lines?"

Gale shook his head. "Of course not. I'll try my best to keep him safe, but if he is going to go off on a fit of anger it might as well be in the opposite direction and with a gun."

It was my turn to glare, my jaw clenched. "I'm not arming him Gale."

Gale looked up at me, his stare serious. "We were armed at that age Peeta."

Gale was right, we were. But I somehow felt responsible for Stosh. Is this how the adults in District 13 felt when we were headed into the Capitol for battle?

"We can pick him up tomorrow morning, on our way out." Katniss sighed. "I hope he isn't disappointed."

"We're going to find them Katniss." Gale spat.

Gale had remained a calm composure when running the Breeding Center but he turned into someone different when dealing with Posy's kidnapping. His eyes grew darker, his face cynical. Part of me wondered if he would be the one running through the halls with a gun, causing a blood-filled diversion.

* * *

**Katniss**

The hovercraft appeared above Victor's Village, the spot we told Stosh to meet us at. I stood and walked over to the ladder. "I'll be right back." I told Peeta.

He sat forward. "Do you want me to come with you?"

I smiled and shook my head. "I just need to grab a few things."

I grabbed a hold of the ladder and was frozen in place, a feeling I had become all too familiar with. I was dumped on the ground below the hovercraft. We were two houses down from the house Peeta and I shared so I turned and made my way over. I wanted to grab my dad's hunting jacket to take with us. I didn't feel comfortable bring it to the Breeding Center but I needed it for this mission. I hoped it would bring us luck. I even planned to grab my own bow and sheath of arrows. The Capitol issued ones were stiff and two difficult to use.

I stepped through our front door and took in the smell of it, happy to be home. I hoped we would be returning here for good shortly, as soon as we rescued the girls. But part of me knew Peeta felt a calling to counsel the children in the Breeding Center. I sighed and made my way back to the study. I had gotten past the dark memories of this room and found places to hide my things in here. It wasn't a room many visited.

I stepped into the room and froze. The smell. I covered my nose with my mouth. It was impossible, all a mind game. It has to be. Only one person smelled that way. That's when the noticed the chair had been turned with it's back to me. "Hello?" My voice quivered.

The chair spun around and I gasped. President Snow sat in the chair smirking, blood running down his chin. He looked just like he did the last time I saw him. "Hello Katniss."

I backed into the wall. "You're not real. You can't be, I saw your dead body."

He laughed which turned into a cough. Blood splattered onto his shirt. "Did you? Because I seem to remember you being labeled mentally unstable. How do you know any of that was real?"

I squeezed my eyes shut. _No, no, no._ I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. That's when I noticed it. A small blip in the upper right corner of his face. He was a holograph.

"You're not real. I killed you!" I screamed at him.

He stood from the chair, his movements shaky as he made he way around the desk and toward me. I stood my ground, refusing to let whoever created this nightmare get to me. He was inches from my face now, the blip in his face was still there. _Not real. Not real._

He smiled. "I though we agreed not to lie to each other, Katniss." With that he blew into my face. The smell of blood and roses hit me like a ton of bricks. I fell to my knees and covered my eyes, a shrill sound filling the air.

* * *

**Peeta**

Gale looked at his watch and back to me. "Where is Stosh? And where is Katniss? Do people have no sense of schedules?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Okay, Effie. They'll be here soon."

Just then the ladder began to ascend and I motioned my hand toward is. "See…"

Stosh appeared in the main area, his face wild. "Peeta… it's Katniss. She's…. she's screaming."

I was on my feet before he finished saying her name, Gale right behind me. The time frozen to the ladder felt too long, my heart was in my feet. I stepped off the ladder and heard her shrill screaming immediately. I took of at a sprint bursting the front door off its hinges. "Katniss!" I stopped and listened, Gale slid into the house behind me. "The study!"

We ran down the hall, the door was open and light was spilling out. Katniss was on the floor in a ball, screaming. I rushed to her side and laid my hand on her shoulder. She flinched and swung her arms wildly at me. "Go away! Don't touch me!"

I grabbed her arms and pulled her toward me. "Katniss, what is it?" I shot a worried glance at Gale.

He stared down at Katniss. "I'll check the rest of the house."

Katniss relaxed in my arms and stopped screaming. "Oh Peeta, it's you." That's when the sobs start, her body heaving in and out.

I pressed my lips into her hair. "What is it?"

She tried to speak through the sobs. "Must…get…out…of…here…"

I nodded and lifted her off the ground, cradling her in my arms. Gale was coming down the stairs.

He turned to us. "No one upstairs."

"Let's get her to the hovercraft. She isn't stable enough to talk right now."

He nodded and led the way. He motioned me toward the ladder. "You take her up first, I'll watch your back."

I obliged, not sure if we were even looking for someone or something. It wasn't odd for Katniss to act this way after a nightmare, but while awake? It rarely happened.

I grabbed the ladder with one hand and we were frozen in place. Stosh was already seating in the main cabin of the hovercraft with the rest of the team. They were all staring at us with curious eyes.

I look down and found that Katniss had fallen asleep. Either that or passed out from shock. I knew I could carry her into the medical room set up on the hovercraft but I wanted her near to me. Something about her actions scared me. I took her to a bench seat and sat down with her in my arms, pressing my face into her hair. Most of the others pretended not to notice us but Gale came and sat down next to me. Stosh slid over as well, eyeing us.

"Is she okay?" Stosh asked.

Gale leaned forward. "When did you hear her screaming Stosh?"

He looked at his hands. "Well, as I was entering victors village I saw her enter a house and close the door behind her. I found the hovercraft and made my way over but about halfway my bag broke open. I had just picked up all of my belongings when I heard her screaming. I wanted to go in after her but I figured I should get help. That you and Peeta would know what to do."

Gale nodded his head. "You did the right thing Stosh. It's a good thing you were out there."

I looked up. "We would have found her eventually, when she didn't come back. But who knows how long she would have laid there, frightened and screaming."

Gale sighed. "I wonder what happened down there. I'll be honest, I have an uneasy feeling."

I nodded. "Me too, Gale. Me too."

* * *

**Katniss**

I was trapped in darkness, floating in time. The smell of roses and blood filled my nose and I tried to get away, but I couldn't move. Strong arms held me in place, but I saw no one. I struggled, trying to free myself.

"Katniss. Wake up baby. Katniss!" That voice, that comforting voice. I reached my mind toward it, willing myself to find him.

My eyes shot open. I was lying in Peeta's arms, his face full of worry. "Peeta…" Memories rushed back to me. "The study, he was there…"

He used his hand to push the hair from my face. "Who was there?"

"President Snow." My voice cracked.

He pulled me closer to him. "He's deads Katniss. You were having a nightmare."

I squeezed my eyes shut and a single tear rolled down my cheek. "No, he was there. I saw him."

"Katniss…" His voice pleaded.

"Someone sent him." I blurted out. "It was a hologram, but it was a message clearly for me?"

"A hologram?" A voice spoke up from beside Peeta. _Gale_.

I lift my head and rubbed my eyes. How long had I been asleep? Peeta still cradled me in his arms and I welcomed his embrace. "He looked so real Gale. And the smell." My breath caught in my throat and I paused.

Peeta's hand rubbed my back. "It's okay Katniss. You don't have to continue."

I shook my head. "No, it's okay. It smelled like… like him. And he was sitting at the desk, just as I remember him. But then I noticed a small square of his forehead wasn't quite right. It was a different shade than the rest, and it blinked every now and then. That is when I knew he wasn't real."

Gale frowned. "Did he say anything?"

I nodded my head. "He told me that he wasn't dead." That was the only important thing he said anyway. "I think it was just a trick, someone trying to mess with me."

Peeta nodded. "I would have to say it was Garth. He was able to take the girls from District 14, he could have easily gotten into our home during the past 2 months and planted that message."

"That's not the worst part." I whispered.

Gale and Peeta looked at me. "If that is what he planted in our house, what is waiting for us in the area surrounding the compound."

I looked up at both of them as the horror of the situation fell over their faces. It would be like the pods in the Capitol during the Rebellion. It would be like going back into the arena.


	7. An Illusion

I still have no plans to do a Stosh POV. It is similar to how we never heard from Peeta during the Hunger Games series. It kind of keeps a mystery. And to answer another question. I know the time frames can seem a little off since some of the chapters span a day or two, but they are all happening in similar timing. If one chapter ends a few days later, the next POV will pick up around the same time. It will make more sense when they all unite.

Ollie

Posy had woken up the first night in the tree house. She had a major headache but other than that seemed to be doing okay. Her baby was even kicking around, giving us all nudges as we took care of her. The night has been cold so we all slept huddled together. Cruz slept next to me and I fought between like it and feeling uncomfortable. After all, I was with Stosh.

We had spent the next day in the tree house, eating a few of the supplies the boys kept there and saving the rest for our packs. I had to hand it to them; their hideout saved our life in more ways than one. They kept bottles of water, dried out beef, and packages of crackers in the bench against the rails. They even had small packs for carrying the supplies. That night we headed out into the forest, deciding that traveling at night would be faster and safer for us all.

It was the next afternoon now, two days since we had escaped from The Resort. My ankle was feeling better but every now and then a stab of pain shot up my leg and I had to stop and break. Posy meandered along on her own, still in shock from hearing the news about Ari. When we first told her she threw an accusing glance at me, blaming me for losing her. It was my fault though. I had been willing to sacrifice her back at The Resort, and I let her get taken away inside of myself.

For the most part we walked in silence but every now and then Cruz would start up a conversation with me. I had stuck by his side, trying to keep up as he stepped through the brush with ease. Holden and Hunter naturally stayed together; they took the lead from the start and knocked big branches out of the way for us. I looked back at Posy, who was still carefully making her way behind us, looking at the ground.

I sighed. "Do you think she'll ever forgive me?" I asked the air in front of me.

Cruz answered me. "She will. This is just a lot to take in right now."

I nod. "I'm scared Cruz."

He moves to put his arm around me but pulls back, changing his mind. Ever since that first night in the tree house where he slept next to me, he had distanced himself a little. "We all are."

I shake my head. "Not about that. I… I haven't felt the baby move since the crash."

He eyes me sideways and then purses his lips. "What's your favorite color Ollie?"

"Ummm, green." I was a bit taken aback by the sudden change of subject.

He smiled. "Odd choice for a girl."

I laughed. "I didn't know girls had to like certain colors. What is your favorite color?"

He thought for a moment. "Blue. Like the sky." He nodded as if agreeing with himself. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen" I said. "I had a birthday a few months ago, I completely forgot about it for awhile."

He frowned. "I'm sorry. I'm eighteen, same as Holden and Hunter. How old is Posy?"

I shrugged. "I think sixteen, that is the youngest they brought to District 14."

A bigger frown. "That is pretty young to be pregnant."

I stopped in my tracks. "It isn't like we had a choice."

"I know, I'm sorry. Just trying to understand, that's all."

"And what does my favorite color have to do with that?"

He shrugged. "I guess I am just trying to understand _you_, Ollie."

"Why?" My voice wasn't so sure anymore.

"I thought that would be obvious." He turned and continued walking. Posy caught up to us, bumping her shoulder against mine. She continued walking past me.

I slumped my shoulders and continued along, bringing up the rear now. Cruz was so confusing. Some moments he seemed to like me, others he treated me like a child. We barely knew each other up until last week. I wondered if I had tried talking to him sooner if he would have helped us escape sooner. If we would have been better friends. I also wondered his motivation for escaping. What demons bothered him back at The Resort that he wanted out so bad?

I looked up and took in our surroundings. For the most part we walked through short brush and thick grass. Every now and then we would come to a wooded around and take a break in the shade. We also passed by signed of destruction from the country that used to be. Small sections of road showed through the overgrown weeds, chunks of concrete appeared every now and then. Cruz mentioned that they didn't bother rebuilding down here and didn't do a good job of clean up when Panem was created.

We were walking through a field of high grass; it reached up to my waist. The twins told us to watch our feet carefully; many animals lived in the grassland but would leave us alone if we left them alone. Even so, they carried their guns at attention, looking for signs of danger.

"Ollina". A chill ran up my spine, the voice came from behind me. I knew that voice.

I turned slowly. My dad stood about fifty yards away, beckoning me with his hand. He was dressed in his mining clothes.

"I've missed you Ollina. Come with me. I'll keep you safe."

"Dad." I whispered. He looked just as I remembered him. I started moving toward him, stumbling as the tears filled my eyes. He turned and walked the other way. "Dad!" I screamed.

"Ollie, NO!" Cruz screamed from behind me.

But I didn't care. I had to get to my dad. I wobbled faster, trying to run with my big belly. I was gaining on him now. My dad turned and smiled at me, then continued walking.

I was almost to him; I could almost reach out and touch his arm. A strong hand grabbed me from behind and pulled my backward. Tanned arms wrapped around my chest. "Let me go!" I screamed, tears threatening to pour down my cheeks.

"No Ollie, it's an illusion. He isn't really there." Cruz's voice was urgent in my ear.

"But he is right there. That's my dad!" I yelled.

"Where is your dad Ollie? What happened to him?"

I swallowed. "He's… dead…"

"Exactly. So he can't be here." Cruz said.

I relaxed into his arms a little. He was right, but my dad was still standing there. He was waving at me, still wanting me to follow.

Cruz loosened his grip. "Watch Ollie." He picked up a rock and chucked it. I tried to call out to warn my dad but it reached him first. Except it went right through him. The image of him flickered for a moment and then disappeared.

I gasped. "What happened?"

He took my hand and turned me to face him. "It was a trap Ollie. Set by Garth when you arrived six months ago. There are others as well, most of them closer to the compound. If you had followed you would have walked right into a trap."

My whole body was trembling. "Thanks. You saved me again."

He smiled. "No problem, Ollie."

We headed back toward the others, who had stopped walking and were staring back at us. Posy's eyes were wide; Holden and Hunter were shaking their head. Cruz kept a hold of my hand and I let him, it was comforting.

Posy fell instep beside me and spoke for the first time in over a day. "What was that about Ollie? Who was that?"

"My dad."

She gaped at me. "I thought he was dead."

I nodded. "He is."

We walked past her and she fell in step a few yards behind us. Holden and Hunter waited for us to catch up. Hunter shook his head. "I didn't think they would have put them out this far. We have to be more careful."

Holden nodded and looked at a small, circular device in his hand. "The map shows that we are 40 miles from The Resort. District 4 is 200 miles out, so we have 160 miles to go."

I knit my brow together. "Why so close to District 4?"

The all looked at me. "I mean, why make the compound so close to District 4 if you didn't want to be found."

Cruz looked at me. "In case of an emergency, we needed to be in walking distance of civilization. My Uncle figured we needed to be less than a weeks walk away. Besides, no one is coming down here. People in Panem don't leave their Districts."

He was right about that. And I was still getting used to Garth being his Uncle. I wanted to ask him what it was like being related to someone so evil but I didn't think it was appropriate.

The twins started to get antsy. "We should keep moving. Try and cover another ten miles before we stop for another rest. We'll stop for the night then."

Posy leaned against a rock. "But I'm so tried. I'm no doctor but I don't think all this walking is good for Ollie and I, or our babies."

Holden fiddled with his gun. "But we need to keep moving. We have rested every 45 minutes for you."

"Holden." Cruz's voice was a warning. "We'll take a small rest. There are some trees up ahead, we'll stop in their shade and have a bite to eat and some water.

We arrived at the trees in ten minutes and collapsed to the ground. Even the twins, who always seemed anxious to move ahead, looked grateful for a rest. We all cracked open our water bottles and took a sip. We had to ration carefully. We each had four bottles of water. If necessary we could find a pond or lake and get water, but it was better to keep moving. Holden said that the bodies of water were scattered on his map and would take us out of our way. The ocean was east of us but it put us too out in the open.

After ten minutes of eating and rehydrating I had an idea. "Let's make a deal." Everyone looked up at me. "If Posy and I agree to make it ten more miles before nightfall, will you tell us your story?"

Cruz looked confused. "What story?"

Posy caught on quicker than I thought. "Why you are out here helping us and not back there trying to find us and drag us back to The Resort." She answered.

Cruz looked between the twins. Holden turned toward us. "Deal."


	8. The Story

Thanks for all the reviews and suggestions! I also like writing mainly from Ollie's POV. This way I can kind of form the characters and the world around them, where with K&P they have already been molded by someone else. I will keep their POV's coming in so we can see how the rescue is coming from the other end. And the situation with Stosh WILL be answered soon.

**Ollie**

Walking ten miles took hours, but we did it. By the time we took cover in a circle of trees, the moon was high and the stars out. I dropped to the ground and dug my water bottle from my pack. "That is a personal best. I'm lucky that didn't put me into labor."

Cruz frowned at me. "Don't joke about that. We need to get to the Districts before that happens."

I nod. "We will. I am still a couple weeks away."

Cruz pulls three sleeping bags from the pack. "I guess we never thought we would have company. How about we do three sleeping and two on watch?"

The twins agreed and Posy and I just nodded. We would do whatever the boys wanted; they had brought us this far. Further than I would have been able to with my escape plan. Cruz and Hunter volunteered to take the first shift. I volunteered but Cruz waved me off, the pregnant girls needed sleep.

I laid out a sleeping bag and crawled inside, positioning myself on my side. Cruz didn't want to make fires in case is drew attention to our location. The nights were cool, but we had managed before. Thankfully the boys had kept some large lanterns. They wouldn't make warmth but they didn't leave a trail and didn't produce smoke. The light they threw off was equivalent of a large fire.

Posy cleared her throat. "I believe you boys have a story to tell." I took notice of how close her sleeping bag was to Hunter. He had positioned himself in a sitting position up against a tree and her head was basically on his legs. He didn't seem to mind.

Cruz sighed. "I was hoping you forgot that."

I laughed. "No way. We walked ten miles and each step of the way remembered our little deal, right Posy?"

She nodded her head, which was now leaning on Hunter's knee. Her resolve looked like it might be waning though, her eyelids were heavy.

Holden slipped into his sleeping bag and propped up on his arms. "I'll start."

All eyes were on him now.

"Our parents started The Resort about 8 years ago, we were all ten years old. It was before President Paylor made a final decision on what she would do about the population situation, but our parents were already working on their plans. Our mom and dad" –he motioned between himself and Holden—were lead Doctors in the Capitol, Cruz's parents were lead Scientists. Together they worked on the plan to make up a cure for the poison. When the Breeding Centers were put on the table and praised, they decided to run away and continue their work. They wanted to prove President Paylor wrong, prove that there was a cure. They brought a lot of workers with them from Panem, and have recruited many more since.

You aren't the first people to come into The Resort as prisoners. My parents first allied with a doctor in District 4 as a spy and helper. He tested citizen's blood for the possible antidote and if he found one, they were kidnapped and sent here. The process grew as allies were made across Panem. We got maybe two citizens a year though, since the blood type is rare. They were tested day after day, and eventually…" His voice trailed off.

"We were kept in the dark for several years. The three of us became friends and explored the beach and the compound. Our parents even let us explore outside the compound for awhile. That is when we built the hideout. Eventually they kept us locked inside the compound though, saying it was getting more dangerous with the Breeding Center coming to a finish. And when we turned sixteen we were trained for combat and handed guns, saying we would have an important job soon enough. When we turned eighteen we were told we would be attendants, that's when the hovercraft carrying the four, now three, of you in arrived."

I stared at him. "Do you know what happened to Lectra?"

Hunter shook his head. "We don't. But chances are, your friend is dead."

I choked back a sob. "So why are you doing this for us?"

It was Cruz who spoke this time. "We still have morals Ollie. Just because our parents have adapted a certain way of life doesn't mean we have to too." His tone was angered. "We kept quiet, realizing it was safer that way. We didn't put it past some of our parent's advisors to get rid of us as seen fit. We acted like drones when they were watching, falling into their perfect mold for us. There wasn't much we could do anyway."

"That's when you arrived." Hunter chimed in. "At first you girls looked like you may have some fight in you but then you quickly fell into a haze. Doing what you were told and moping through free time. We figured it was just a matter of time before you disappeared too."

Cruz nodded. "But if anything your arrival made us more upset. Angry that they were holding teenage girls hostage, pregnant teenage girls. Our parents were less and less careful around us as we got older. They talked over dinner about their plans to take your babies and experiment on them, hoping their fresh blood help what they were looking for."

I felt sick. "Ari." I whispered.

Holden pushed the dirt around with a stick while he spoke. "But then a week or two ago the haze around you lifted Ollie. It was like you came back to life. You were more vibrant and full of life, that is when we knew we had a chance. You started having little meetings out in the water, pretending you were gathering shells."

Cruz laughed. "Had anyone else been your attendant you would have been dragged to Garth that first day."

I felt my cheeks going warm. None of my plans would have worked out, what was I thinking.

Hunter rested his hand on Posy's back, playing with the end of her braid. "We decided to act fast. After all your questions about hovercrafts we figured you would try and take off on Sunday, so we decided to make the move on Saturday. Getting past the guards and into the hangar was the easy part, after that we figured we would just wing it."

Cruz smiled. "I guess we have been somewhat successful, huh? Although it would have been easier to fly to District 4, but this will have to do."

"Thanks for sharing." Posy whisper, and with that she closed her eyes and was asleep. I suddenly realized how tired I was. I yawned.

"Go to sleep Ollie." Cruz murmured.

He didn't have to ask me twice. I turned my back to him and listened as he clicked the lanterns off. I rested my head on my arm and closed my eyes. Their story ran through my head over and over. No matter how tired I was, I could tell it would take a little while to fall asleep, but I remained still.

"What are you doing?" Hunter whispered.

"What do you mean?" Cruz answered.

"I mean, the way you are acting toward Ollie."

"No different than how you are acting toward Posy."

"Yeah, but this is different. You have seen the tapes and heard the stories from Garth. Ollie is in love with this Stosh guy."

Cruz sighs. "Yeah, and they are both pregnant with his babies. You know, part of me is jealous of this guys."

Hunter stifles a laugh. "Not me. But what are you expecting to happen Cruz? What do you think she is going to do when she is reunited with him?"

"I don't know, Hunter. I'm thinking maybe she really doesn't love him. Maybe it was a love forced by the Breeding Center, not a love that will last a lifetime."

"Do you love her?"

Cruz laughs. "I don't know about that. What I do know is that from the moment I saw her being carried off the hovercraft something inside of me changed. I feel different when she is around. I want to be near her as long as I can."

"That sounds like love to me."

"But according to you it is a dead end chase."

"Who knows, maybe you are right. Maybe the Stosh thing will fade."

Their conversation ended there.

A chill ran up my spine. Was Cruz right? Had my love for Stosh formed merely because it was inevitable at the Breeding Center? I had never felt anything before him before we arrived, but it came so easily after we were made partners. And Stosh seemed to love me back, but he had also lied to me a lot in the time were there.

Then there was Cruz. They were right, I had lived the first six months at The Resort in a haze. But once I broke free and started talking to Cruz I was very aware of him. His golden hair, blue eyes, and his toned and tanned skin. I felt something when I was around him, something I had never felt for Stosh when we were in District 12 and just friends.

My life was already complicated enough with out this dilemma. I slowly slid my hand to my belly and felt a nudge back. _There you are little boy._

_

* * *

_

I woke up stiff and remembered I was sleeping on the ground. I noticed the sun peeking through the trees and quickly rolled over. "Why did know one…"

"Ow!" I had elbowed Cruz in the face. His sleeping bag had been positioned next to mine sometime in the middle of the night.

"Sorry! I didn't realize you were so close."

He sat up slowly, holding his nose. "That's the last time I do that!" He laughed but then winced. Blood dripped between his fingers.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry. I was just surprised no one woke me to take a turn on watch. I thought maybe something had happened."

"Nope, just being polite and letting you sleep." He ripped part of his sleeve off and held it to his nose.

"Here, lean your head back." I held the cloth in place while he leaned back on his hands. "It should stop soon."

Hunter laughed from his spot by the tree. "You know, we used to play fight all the time as kids and we could never get a hit on Cruz. And now all you had to do was roll over."

I shrugged. "I'm tougher than I look I guess.

"Not funny." Cruz mumbled through the cloth.

I looked around. "Hey, where is Posy?"

Holden was carving at a stick with a small pocketknife. "She went to use the bathroom, woke up about ten minutes ago."

I myself was amazed I slept through the night. Usually I was up urinating five times a night with the baby on my bladder. I must be really dehydrated.

I pulled back the cloth from Cruz's face. "See, it stopped."

He glared at me and took the cloth. "I'll go wash this blood off."

I turned to the twins. "So, where to today? What is your mileage goal?"

Hunter was already looking at the small circular map device he carried. "Well, we are hoping for 50 miles again. That should get us to the District in three days."

I smiled and stood up, stretching my arms above my head. "I think I'll use the restroom too." I head off in the opposite direction I saw Cruz go, looking for a large tree. I found one perfect and squatted down. I had just finished up when I saw it.

Maybe 200 yards in the distance a group of three people were walking through a clearing, armed with large guns and dressed in all black. I froze. _Guards from The Resort._ My breath caught in my throat as I watched them. They were headed back in the direction we came from, back to The Resort. I waited until they were far enough away to hear or see me, and turned and walked quickly back to the campsite.

"… tomorrow we should get closer to the ocean, follow the shore line to District 4." Hunter and Cruz were standing over the map.

"They're here." I squeaked.

They turned to look at me. "Who is here Ollie?" Cruz asked.

"Guards from The Resort. I saw them out there." Cruz was at my side in an instant; Hunter and Holden pulled their guns out. "Hunter, go find Posy. Where did you see them Ollie?"

I pointed south. "That way, in the clearing. They looked like they were headed back to The Resort. There were three of them, armed.

Cruz thought for a minute. "Let's move out, if they were headed back toward The Resort we could be okay. We'll have to be safer though. Stay under cover as much as possible and scout out all clearings."

He headed off in the direction I point and I began gathering our packs. Holden helped me. Hunter returned a few minutes later with Posy. Her hair was wet and her clothes were thrown on messily. "Well, maybe I'll bath tomorrow." She said grumpily.

Cruz returned just after them. "They aren't in the clearing anymore but they could pick up our tracks and follow them back to us. We should get out of here."

No one complained, we all just cleaned up camp and looked to Hunter, who was holding the map. "I think we should head to the ocean today instead of tomorrow. We can cover our tracks with the water."

The guys all looked at each other, nodding their heads. I threw my hands up in the air. "Fine, whatever. Let's just go."

Hunter took off in the lead, Posy holding onto his arm for support in the brush. Holden followed close behind and I walked next to Cruz. The boys' pace was fast but Posy and I were able to keep up. We kept pace for two hours, not stopping for any breaks.

Finally I couldn't take it anymore. "Guys, I need water."

Hunter looked between us all and at the map. "We should be okay to stop. We have gone about 6 miles. 15 more until we hit the ocean. We walked another fifteen minutes to a large tree in the middle of a field and took a rest. I uncapped my water and took a long drawl. Posy took the time to braid her sun-dried hair; she hadn't had time after Hunter interrupted her bath.

I rested against a rock. "I'm just going to rest my eyes for a minute." But the walk but have taken more out of me than I thought, I was quickly asleep.


	9. Dilemma

Short little chapter, then back to K&P!

**Ollie**

I was vaguely aware of my body rocking back and forth, as though I were lying on a bed made of water. I opened my eyes slightly, looking up to see Cruz. I was cradled in his arms and we were walking through brush.

"What happened?" I mumbled, still waking up.

He looked down at me and smiled. "You fell asleep on a rock and we couldn't get you to wake up. You kept slapping on hands away. So, I decided to carry you."

"Aren't I heavy, let me down, I can walk."

He laughed. "I can carry you just fine Ollie, we have gone three miles already, with a few breaks."

I could feel his muscles rippling beneath me. "Thanks, but I am sure I can walk. Wouldn't want you to over exert yourself." I blushed a little and I turned my head so he wouldn't see.

He set me on the ground. "There you go."

Everyone else had fallen into what was becoming a pattern. Hunter and Posy up front, Holden in the middle, and Cruz and I bringing up the rear.

"What do you think they'll do to me in Panem, Ollie?"

I shot him a confused look. "What will who do to you?"

He shrugged. "President Paylor. The Capitol. You two will be sent home of course, but us, we have no home. We are probably considered Rebels."

"I hadn't though about it. I'm sure you'll be pardoned, especially since you helped us escape. Maybe you can even come live in District 12 with Posy and I…" The sentence faded in my throat. Of course he couldn't, Stosh would be there.

"Ollie…"

"I heard what you said to Hunter last night." I blurted out.

He looked surprised, his mouth hung open for a moment as he looked for the words. "I thought you were asleep."

"It took awhile, I had a lot on my mind. But I wanted to talk to you about that. About Stosh, we kind of…"

"Yeah, I get it." He spat. "You were calling his name in your sleep. You two have a thing, that's fine."

He moved ahead of me. I wanted to call out to him, tell him to come back and talk to me, but it was no use. Stosh would always be the person hanging between us, even if he weren't here. But what if Stosh had moved on to Willow? What if they found comfort in each other in my disappearance? For all they knew I was dead. Then could Cruz and I possibly be together back in District 12. Had I really been calling for Stosh in my sleep?

I shook my head. "Enough Ollie."

I said it loud enough the Holden turned around and looked at me. "Did you ask me something?"

I smiled. "Nope. Just talking to myself back here."

He slowed his pace, falling in step beside me. "Hey. Cruz is a good guy…"

"I know that. I just…"

He raised his hand. "That is all I wanted to say. He has been threw a lot the past eighteen years. Most of it Hunter and I don't even know, but we can tell he is battling an inner demon."

I sighed. "What are you expecting to get out of this Holden? Where do you want to go when we get back to the Districts?"

He shrugged. "Anywhere. I just want to settle down and work, find a place to call home. But I want it to be far from here, I'll head north for sure, maybe further out west."

"Toward the Capitol." I murmured.

"Never. Maybe I'll go to District 2 and mine for stones."

I smiled at him. "You could always come mine in District 12."

"Maybe I will Ollie."

We walked in silence for a while, Holden taking Cruz's place by my side. Up ahead Cruz walked on beside Hunter and Posy, talking to them as he looked at the map.

"Do you think they have search teams out looking for us still? Do you think a hovercraft will appear over our head at any moment."

Holden shrugged. "I doubt it. My guess is that they will wait near District 4, since that is where they suspect we will run to. We'll have to formulate some for of plan as we get closer, but for now, all we can do is walk and hope they don't discover our location."

I nodded my head. That made sense. That would be the only place we could go so instead of cutting down brush and flying over the clearings, they would just wait for us. Cherry pick us once we arrived.

"Then what was that team doing back at the clearing." I froze, reaching out and grabbing Holden's arm. He turned and looked at me, the others continued on. "The guards. Does everyone at The Resort have blond hair and blue eyes?"

He nods. "All the guards do at least, kind of a family business. Some of the recruited Med Staff and Scientists have dark hair. Why?"

"These guards. They had dark hair, and they were pale. A little too pale to be from The Resort."

He frowned. "What are you getting at Ollie?"

Why hadn't I seen it? "What if they weren't from The Resort? What if they were a rescue team, not a search team?"

His eyes widened. "And they were so close. But how could we have been sure?"

"If Cruz had been able to get close, or you or Hunter, you could have told just by looking at them. You would have recognized them. Ugh, I am so stupid."

Cruz had noticed us falling behind now and motioned for the others to stop. He made his was back toward us. "What's the hold up?" He glanced quickly to my hand on Holden's arm and then back to my face.

"The guards. I don't think they were with The Resort, I think they were from the Capitol. Maybe even Gale's team." I told him my theory, repeating what I told Holden.

He shrugged. "Could be, but I don't want to go back and find out."

I gaped at him. "What do you mean? That could be our ticket out of here! They can fly us back home in days."

"And how do we know they aren't with The Resort? Who is going to walk up and ask them _just in case_? You Ollie? Because I don't think you are ready to sacrifice yourself. You weren't when the hovercraft picked up Ari in your place."

His words stung. Holden stepped forward. "Cruz."

Cruz looked at Holden and spun on his heels, marching back to Hunter and Posy. "We move forward!" He yelled back over his shoulder.

Holden put his hand on my back and gave me a push forward. "He'll come around."

I nodded my head, not able to speak. I couldn't let him get to me; I had to remember that I was going back to Stosh. I was carrying Stosh's baby. There was no room for Cruz.


	10. Captured

One last chapter before bed!

**Katniss**

The hovercraft dropped low into the clearing before making an appearance and dropping us all onto the ground below. One by one we stepped off the ladder into a thick, humid brush.

"Where are we?" I asked.

Gale shrugged. "South. That is the only answer I have. Only couple hundred miles from District 4 though."

The hovercraft overhead disappeared and we were left standing in the clearing, ten soldiers arm at our sides, Stosh keeping a close distance to Peeta. Suddenly, a tall dark haired man appeared from the trees. He was arms and wore an all black jump suit. "Over here!" He called.

Gale motioned for us to follow. "That's Traver, one of my best guys back in District 2. He is helping with communications for the search team, well rescue team now."

We moved into the wooded area to find a thick canvas canopy erected between several trees. Underneath was a miniature command center and a row of temporary bunk beds.

Traver was already back at one of the computers, a head set over his right ear. Gale went to his side and put a hand on his shoulder. "What's the update?"

"Breccia, Sand, and Dolo are out on patrol. They are getting closer to the compound now, trying to clear the way. We should hear an update from them soon, and then you can head out."

Peeta stepped forward. "We are leaving this morning?"

Gale nods. "The sooner the better."

I let out a nervous laugh. "Do you have a plan?"

He turns and looks at us, speaking to us as well as the soldier's behinds us. "We are going into this with one objective, get the girls back. If possible, we get Garth as well. We don't know much about the compound and believe that it is heavily guarded with guns. They also most likely have some sort of booby traps in place for outsiders. We'll have to navigate the best we can in the woods, Katniss and I can help with that. Stosh will stay here with Traver."

"No way." Stosh blurted out. "I am going with you…"

Peeta grabbed Stosh by the shoulders and pulled him back. "You are lucky you are here and you'll do as Gale tells you."

"We are going to do as much as we can not to draw attention to ourselves. We want to keep the girls as safe as possible, and get them out alive. Once outside of the compound we'll radio Traver to send the hovercraft. It is refueling in District 4 and will be back later this afternoon. The map shows a large clearing 5 miles north of the compound, the hovercraft will land and get us the heck out of there. Two teams. One led by me and the other by Peeta. Katniss will go with Peeta. My team with move in on the compound from the East, Peeta's from the West."

I try to keep up with his plan, looking back and forth between him and Peeta. Peeta seems deep in thought, as if he is trying to figure it all out as well. I step forward. "What about the holograms?"

Gale cocks his head. "That what?"

I give him a knowing glance. "The holograms…"

His face flashes understand. "Ah, yes." He turns his attention to the others. "We have reason to believe that they may have some tricks up their sleeves out in the brush. Be on the look out for things that just don't appear normal, let someone know right away. We don't want to lose anyone."

I was amazed at Gale's leadership. Ten years ago we had been standing in Command in District 13, preparing to go into battle in the Capitol, Boggs leading our team. Now Gale stood, in a similar place.

A crackle came over the radio. "Traver, come in." A whisper voice said.

"I'm here Dolo, speak to me."

The voice cackled again. "We are in the clearing 5 miles out. There is something here you should know about. It looks like a hovercraft crashed here in the past couple of days, the ashes are still smoking."

I looked at Peeta, a nervous feeling in my stomach.

Gale grabbed leaned into the receiver. "Is anyone in there?"

Static. "Not that we could find, but there are footsteps leading away from it, headed north. If I had to guess, someone managed to escape the compound." Silence.

I took a deep breath. "The girls…"

Gale stood straight and clasped his hands around the back of his neck. "I doubt it. It is a diversion. They want us to follow the trail, right into an ambush."

Stosh crosses his arms. "What if it is the girls? They are out there all alone, and for a few days it sounds like. They could be injured from the crash."

Stosh was losing control, I could tell. He hadn't been the same since the girls disappeared. I stepped forward. "Stosh, come outside with me. These guys can finish up the planning."

He hesitates but follows me outside. I sit down in the shade of a large tree and motion for him to do the same. He plops down and rests his arms on his knees, playing with his hands.

"What's going on Stosh? You seem on edge."

"It's my fault." He whispers.

"What is?"

"The kidnapping. It is me they wanted, not the girls. If only I had refused to be with them, get them pregnant. I would be the only one in danger."

I put my hand on his arm. "You didn't know how far they would go Stosh. You couldn't have known. We'll find them, I promise."

"Yeah, dead or alive Katniss?"

I winced. "I'm guessing alive, they should all still be pregnant. Ollie is the one closest to her due date and she still has several more weeks. They need the babies, not them."

The truth sounded harsh, but it was our reality.

His shoulders slumped. "I can't be with Willow anymore."

I sighed. Before being sent home Gale asked Stosh and Willow to act like a couple. Put on a façade for any possible spies. Gale believed that if it looked like they had moved on, Garth would believe we weren't searching. It was a long shot, but it was the only one we had back them. They had done their best but it was hard back home. Willow was pregnant, and they all believed it to be Stosh's. They lied about their reasons for being home, saying that they were one of the lucky couples picked to be sent home. From Stosh's conversations, Willow still mourned Coda. Gale asked her not to contact him.

"I know." I whispered. "We'll find her."

"All three of them, right?"

I nodded. "We have to."

He sighed and leaned his head on my shoulder. "I'll stay here and be good. Just bring them home."

We made our way back to the tent where Gale, Peeta, and the soldiers were already putting on their packs and loading their weapons. I was already wearing my hunting jacket and one of the soldiers had laid my bow and arrows up against a tree.

Gale approached me. "Is he going to give us trouble?"

I shook my head. "He'll stay here with Traver. Be a second watchman."

"Good." Gale nodded and motioned to the rest of the team. "Split into two groups, five each. Right side with me, left with Peeta." He handed me a silver bracelet. "Here is a communicuff. Let's move out."

Gale handed Peeta small silver device. "This a satellite map of the area. Head west until you hit the beach, follow that into the compound. My team will head east. Good luck." He patted him on the back and turned to me. He pulled me into his arms. "Stay safe, Catnip."

I smiled at him when he pulled away. "Oh you know me, I was born for this. Just another hunt right?"

He laughed. "Yes, except your target is Garth."

I shrug. "It isn't the first time I'll be hunting humans."

The words haunted me but they were true. I took my place by Peeta's side and the five soldiers fell in place behind us. We weaved through the brush, heading west. I took the lead, finding the safer path in the overgrown land. We walked for hours, stopping only to drink water and take a bite of fresh bread from our packs. By late afternoon we were ten miles from the compound, and growing closer. The beach was immediately to our right. Peeta mentioned walking in the water to erase traces of our footsteps but I decided it would be too out in the open. We were better in the cover of the woods; they were getting thicker as we headed further south.

We entered into a small clearing and I immediately knew something was wrong, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Twenty yards in front of us stood a young woman, about my age. She had light brown hair that fell to her waist in waves and kind eyes. One of the soldiers stepped forward. "Mae?"

Peeta and I realized what was happening too late. The soldier rushed toward her. "No!" I yelled out.

He reached her and put his arms out, but he fell right through her. Suddenly he disappeared into the ground, screaming. We cautiously ran over but found the ground completely solid.

"A booby trap." Peeta muttered.

I raised my communicuff. "Gale, are you there?"

"Katniss?"

"We lost a solider. A hologram led him into a booby trap. He disappeared."

Silence.

"Oh and Gale, they trigger people you love not just people you fear. Just a warning."

Silence then, "I know Katniss. I shot through Gemma."

A click sounded. He ended the exchange.

I looked at Peeta. "We have to keep moving." I turned to the soldiers. "I don't care who you see, do not approach them." They nodded, their eyes wide. "Did anyone recognize her?"

One of the soldiers nodded. "That was Fray's former wife. She was killed in the war in District 2 ten years ago."

I swallowed at the lump in my throat and found Peeta's hand. We were lucky to still have each other; after all we had been through. Peeta looked at his digital map and we continued on. Five miles from the compound we saw another holograph. This time is was a frightening looking man. He was old, with no hair and only half his teeth. He shakes an accusing finger at someone behind me. One of the soldiers gasped and whispered, "He's not real. He's not real" behind me.

The old man followed us for a quarter mile before disappearing into the trees. At four miles Peeta's mom and dad appeared in front of us. We cut left around them, a tear rolled down Peeta's cheek and onto his shirt. At three miles a little girl ran toward us. "Daddy?"

The solider bringing up the rear sobbed as we moved past her. The little girl was beautiful with round cheeks and long pigtails. "Daddy?" She called out. "Why won't you come to me Daddy? I miss you." But we continued on.

Two miles away gunfire erupted to our left. Peeta put his arm out to stop us. "Gale's team but have arrived, and they were noticed."

I took a deep breath. "Well, at least we have a diversion." We rushed forward, moving toward the beach. We ran the two miles at full speed, keeping pace with each other. We came up upon high concrete walls and pulled left, moving out onto the sand. Up ahead sat a cabin, lights on in the window.

"What's that?" I ask.

Peeta shrugs. "I don't know, but now would be a good time to find out. Maybe it is Garth's own private oasis."

I shook my head. "He would never leave himself so vulnerable."

"Unless he is that full of himself that he believed they couldn't be found."

We charged up the cabin steps, the soldiers kept their backs to us and guns aimed. I loaded a bow onto my arrow and pulled it back. Peeta approached the door and kicked at it, it burst open. Metal locks from the inside shatter all over the floor.

"Some was locked in." I huffed. We entered the cabin and saw a small girl sitting on the couch, her back toward us, trembling.

"Hello?" I called out.

She spun around. "Oh!" Tears spilled down her cheek and she ran to me, falling into my arms. Just before she got to me I noticed her swollen belly. "Ari?"

"Yes." She sobbed into my shoulder.

I hugged her tight. "You're going to be okay. We're here to rescue you."

She wiped her nose. "Did you find Ollie, Posy, and the boys?"

Peeta stepped forward. "No. What boys?"

She frowned. "Cruz, Hunter, and Holden. They helped us escape but our hovercraft crashed. They are still out there. I was captured and brought back here but they haven't found the others yet."

I gasped. "So they are out there. We knew about the crash but figured it was a diversion. Oh no Peeta. We need to call people to go look for them."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "These boys, were they kidnapped too?"

She shook her head. "They worked here. They were our guards during free time."

"And how do you know you can trust them?" Peeta's tone was more urgent.

She slumped her shoulders. "They were the only chance we had." She started sobbing again and leaned into me.

I looked at Peeta. "I'm sure they are fine."

"I hope." He responded. "Let's move. Get a hold of Gale and let's get out of here. Back down the beach, as far as we can make it."

We nodded and headed out the cabin doors and back down the steps. I raised my communicuff. "Gale, if you hear me abort. Get out now."

Gunfire still rang to the right as we ran. No answer came back on the communicuff. I hoped for Gale's sake that he heard me and was getting out. Ari stumbled slowly behind and Peeta fell back to lift her into his arms and run. We ran give miles before we slowed, heaving to catch our breath.

"That was too easy." I croaked with my dry throat.

"Let's not jinx it." One of the soldiers breathed.

We took the next ten miles at a slow jog, stopping only for water breaks. I was in the middle of taking a swig of water when my communicuff beeped.

"Gale?"

"Guess again." A deep voice came over the communicuff.

I looked at Peeta. "Garth?"

"Correct. I have your male friend here, sadly his soldiers didn't make it."

The soldiers on our team grunted angrily.

"What do you want?" I spat into the cuff.

A short laugh came from the other end. "What I have always wanted Katniss, and I believe he happens to be here with you, am I correct?"

I didn't answer. I couldn't.

"That's what I thought. You have until the end of the week."

The communicuff blinked off. I looked at Peeta. "What is today?"

"Wednesday." He whispered.


	11. Tracking

**Katniss**

Peeta grabbed me around the waist before I could move, he knew me well enough. "Let me go, I'm going back!"

"No Katniss, there is nothing you can do right now. Let's get back to camp and talk it over."

"Let me go!" I screamed. He lifted me into the air, my legs kicking beneath me.

"You!" He motioned to one of the soldiers. "Carry Ari. Let's move out."

The man nodded and picked Ari up into his arms. Peeta shifted my body so that he was cradling me and the group broke into a jog again. I gave up struggling and moped silently to myself.

"This was their plan all along, you know." I whispered.

"What?" Peeta looked down at me for a moment before taking his eyes back to the trail.

"Getting to Ari was too easy. Garth must have known we would split into two groups. He is playing me with Gale just like he did with President Snow. It is Stosh he has wanted all along."

Peeta's jaw clenched. "But Gale wouldn't want you to go after him."

I shrugged. "But I will anyway. Garth knew that. I can't abandon him like that."

We ran in silence after that. Peeta keeping up a steady jog with me in his arms. It was early morning when we reach the campsite; Stosh was snoring on one of the cots. Traver and the search team were sitting around waiting for us, their postures stiff.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed the others had made it back safely. But they weren't armed for combat, they were just looking out for us all. "We need to assemble and get back to the compound in the morning."

Peeta set me on the ground. "I don't think that is what Gale would want."

Traver nodded. "Sorry Katniss, but he would expect us to leave him behind. Now, tell us what happened out there."

Peeta shared our account of what happened on our end. All eyes fell on Ari, who was sitting on the edge of the bed trembling.

"Where are the others?" Traver asked.

"Ari says they escaped." I answered.

He rubbed his chin with his hand, his eyes going distant. "We should look for them, Gale would want us to."

I nod.

Dolo steps forward. "Why keep Gale? Why not kill him like the others?"

I looked at my feet and Peeta moved to answer for me. "They want Stosh."

"Then take my too them." We all turned to look at Stosh. He had woken up and was listening to our conversation, his dark hair disheveled. "I'll go."

"Stosh…" Peeta warned.

"No, this is getting ridiculous. Let me go. I'm the one they have wanted all along. We'll make a deal. If they release Gale and leave us all alone, I'll go with them."

"We won't let you do that." I say sternly.

He crosses his arms. "Fine, then I'll go on my own. Or make enough noise that they follow us. Either way, I am turning myself over."

Peeta sighs. "Don't be childish Stosh, we'll figure something else out."

"What else is there?" Traver interjects. "If he is bent on sacrificing himself, let him.

I look at Traver in horror. "No!"

Stosh stands. "But we find Ollie first, I need to know she is okay."

I decide not to fight it any further. Looking for Ollie will give us a chance to stall, come up with a different plan. One that doesn't include handing Stosh over.

I sit on the edge of a bed, suddenly feeling exhausted. "We have until the end of the week, barely three days. We'll have to leave first thing in the morning."

Dolo nods. "I'll go on the search team, I'm a certified medic."

Peeta nods. "Katniss and Stosh will go as well. Plus two soldiers, the rest of us will stay here."

I don't like that I'll have to drag Stosh along but it will have to do. I lean back on the thin mattress and close my eyes, sleep winning over. I am vaguely aware of Peeta curling up next to me at some point in the night. It is one of the rare nights that I do not dream.

* * *

In the morning Peeta kissed me gently on the lips. "Be safe."

I smiled and wrap my arms around him. "I'll be fine. You know the battle is raging south and we are headed north. I have a feeling that is one of the reasons you want me on this mission."

He smirks. "Guess we'll never know."

Stosh taps his foot impatiently. "We should get going."

I pull away from Peeta and grab my pack. Stosh, Dolo, and two soldiers -who I have learned are named Austin and Hile- are situated by the opening to the canopy.

"Where to first?" Dolo asked.

I walk out of the canopy and a warm breeze hits my face. "Traver says that they have been straight east to the ocean and back many times and have seen no signs of a foot trail. So, we will head west to see if we can pick it up. Hopefully it will lead north and we won't have to swing back south to find them. I expect if they are healthy and have water they are a day or two ahead of us. We can run, unlike the pregnant girls, so if we keep pace we should catch up with them fast."

With out another word we take off at a jog. The air is warm and salty; sweat is already forming along my hairline. We each packed enough water for a week just in case, I had learned to be prepared. I keep a watchful eye on the ground, looking for signs someone has come through. We don't have to go as far as I thought, maybe a mile.

"Here. Look!" I say, crouching to the ground. The ground is too dry for large footprints but there are impressions in the grass.

The others stand over me, their breathing heavy. I follow the trail with my eyes; it leads to a wooded area.

Dolo takes a swig of water. "They were so close."

"They may still be." Stosh says.

We follow the footsteps into the trees and find the remnants of a campsite. I lean down. "It looks like they tried to clean up as best they could, but I can still tell they were hear. Two days ago maybe."

Austin crouches down. "Is that blood?"

I follow his eyes and see the small splatter spot in the dirt. "Looks like it, but not very much. A small wound perhaps."

Stosh rocks back and forth nervously. "What if Ollie is hurt. Or Posy. We should move again."

Dolo leans against a tree. "Where do you think they are headed? I mean, they could just be wandering around out there."

I shake my head. "Ari said that boys from the compound were with them. My guess is they are headed toward District 4. And we need to get to them before they arrive."

Hile takes a deep breath. "Well, we better start running again. They have two days on us but I bet we can cover that distance by nightfall."

I laugh. "Let's keep it at a jog and make sure to take long walking breaks. We won't make it 25 miles running in this heat."

Stosh agrees. "You may all be trained and conditioned by the Capitol, but I'm not."

Hile shakes his head. "I knew bringing you along was a bad idea."

Stosh rolls his fingers into fists. "Ollie needs me. I need to be the one to find her."

Hile puts his hands up. "Okay Stosh."

"Stop." I say. "This is our team whether we like it or not. We have a job to do, let's get it done. We can't waste anymore time here."

We spend the rest of the day jogging and walking, following a trail of footsteps and broken branches. "The footsteps are getting fresher." I note as we go through another wooded area. We had gone about 30 miles and were exhausted. "These are from today, this morning probably. I doubt they can keep up the stamina they thought."

Dolo picks at a broken branch. "They are headed to the ocean. We may lose their trail soon."

I nod. "But they'll take the beach straight to District 4. That is what I would do. Let's rest here for the night."

Stosh sits down grumpily, taking off his shoes and rubbing his raw feet. We all unroll our packs silently. We pull out water bottles and I instruct Hile and Austin to make a fire.

"I'm going hunting. I'm not eating dried out beef for dinner, we're having some real meat."


	12. Discovery

A lot is going to happen in this chapter because I didn't want to break it up into small segments. Enjoy the ride!

**Ollie**

We had made it 50 miles from the spot we saw the guards because I lost it. I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't take wondering if they were a rescue team. My legs hurt and my feet were raw. And to top it of there was a sharp shooting pain coming every twenty minutes in my abdomen.

We had spent the night in the covering of palm trees –as Holden called them—that butted up against the beach. We had been wading in the water for an hour or two now when I plopped down in the water. We had grown so used to walking in silence that no one noticed my absence. They continued walking ahead; their shoulders slumped from exhaustion. I let my body fall backwards, landing in the shallow water. The wave lapped at my sides, trying to find a way around me. The cool mist from the ocean felt good on my face.

I pushed myself up onto the knees and splashed the cool water onto my face. The salt burned my eyes but I didn't care. The closer we got to District 4 the harder the realities hit me. Stosh may have moved on. I would be having a baby soon. Cruz, Holden, and Hunter may be taken prisoner. The future was so unknown.

I stood and moved deeper into the water. The waves lapped at my knees, my waist, my chest. I felt free of burden. No longer on the run or searching for something that may not be there, I could enjoy this moment. A wave lapped at my face, pushing my hair back from my face. I fought the urge to put my arms back and float out into the ocean.

I knew I should go back to shore, meet up with the others. But I didn't want to face the harsh reality. Just one more dip. I took a deep breath and prepared to submerge myself when strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me backward.

"Are you insane?" Cruz's voice was at my ear as he pulled me back toward shore.

"Maybe." I whispered.

He dragged me up onto the beach and dropped me in the sand. Posy and the twins were standing up by the palm trees, pretending not to watch us but obviously curious. "What were you thinking Ollie?"

His voice was angry, angrier than I had ever seen him. His hands were balled into fists, his golden hair hung over his forehead as it dripped with water. I tried to ignore the outline of his muscles through his soaked clothes.

"I was just going for a swim." A sharp pain rocked my abdomen but I ignored it.

"Yeah?" He spat at me. "Because from here it looked like you were trying to drown yourself."

I rolled my eyes. "My feet could still touch."

"Do you know how to swim Ollie?"

I blushed, I hadn't even thought of that. "Not well, we used to take dips in a lake near home but I never went in past my knees."

He threw his hands up in the air. "Exactly."

I pushed myself off the sand and faced him. "I don't see why you care, one less person to take care of."

He rolls his eyes. "Grow up Ollie. I'm not about to let anything happen to you."

"Good luck." I mumbled and turned from him. I knew I was being childish but I was so frustrated. I wanted to forget the feelings I had for Cruz, maybe even the feelings I had for Stosh.

Cruz grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him. "Come for a walk with me."

I didn't really want to walk with him but I didn't resist. We walked in silence for ten minutes, out of view of the others, before he turned to speak.

"Look Ollie. I don't need to say things you already know."

He was talking about the conversation I overheard back at the campsite two nights ago.

He continued. "And I can't help but notice you feel the same."

My mouth hung open and I tried to fight the blush that was on its way, but it was no use. The corners of his mouth pulled up into a smile.

"It's complicated." I said with a slight frown. Another sharp pain.

He laughs. "I've been living complicated for eighteen years, Ollie. Look at who my parents are. Love finds it's way through complicated."

I took a step back. "I love Stosh."

"Do you?" He cocked his head.

"I… that isn't fair." I cross my arms.

He shrugs. "No one said I have to play fair."

"I'm pregnant with his child."

He rolled his eyes. "By force, find a new excuse."

"Doesn't it bother you?"

"That's you're pregnant? No."

"Why do you want me so bad?" The words slipped off my tongue.

He stepped toward me and I fought the urge to run. "I feel different with you Ollie. From the moment you arrived at The Resort, there is electricity when I'm near you. Can't you feel it?" He was inches from me now.

"No." I lied.

"Liar". His voice was low, his breath hit my face. He drew closer to me.

"Cruz…" I warned.

His lips were close, too close. "Tell me to stop and I will."

I sucked in my breath. "I…."

He paused.

"I can't."

His lips were on mine before I finished the sentence. They surprisingly warm and soft. My lips parts as I gave in, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him as close as he could get with my belly in the way. My belly. The baby. Stosh's baby. Stosh.

I pushed Cruz back; his cheeks were red and flushed. "I told you that you like me." He smiled.

I was about to answer when he shoved me behind him, his body tense. He reached for his gun but he has taken his holster off when he jumped into the water to pull me out.

I peered around his shoulder and my heart sank to the ground. "Stop. I know them!" I fought between excitement and fear as I look back into his face. Stosh stood 50 yards away, tense and staring at Cruz and I. He had obviously seen my kiss with Cruz. Katniss stood beside him, and three other men I didn't recognize.

I pushed past Cruz and broke into a jog, ignoring the sharp pains in my stomach that were coming faster. I fell into Stosh's open arms, tears stinging my arms.

His body was tense, eyes still on Cruz, but he welcomed me into his embrace. "You're alive." He breathed into my hair.

I nodded, unable to speak. They had found us, we would be okay. And Stosh was here; looking for me, not back in District 12 with Willow.

He pulled away from me and finally met my gaze. "We found Ari but weren't sure if you were still alive. Where's Posy?"

I motioned up the beach. "She is up that way with the twins. You found Ari? Is she okay?" I breathed a sigh of relief but another sharp pain rocked my belly. What was going on?

Katniss stepped forward now. "She is fine, a little shook up but who isn't? Who are the twins?"

"Oh, Holden and Hunter. They, along with Cruz, helped us escape." I motioned behind me. Cruz had come up to where we standing, handing a few feet back.

Stosh was staring at him again, his gaze tense. Katniss stepped in Stosh's line of sight. "Stosh, why don't you go with the soldiers to find Posy and the other two boys. Cruz can take you there. Bring them back here. I'll call for the hovercraft."

Cruz stepped around us and made his way to the soldiers, introducing himself. Stosh follow behind, but begrudgingly. I stared after them.

Katniss touched my arm. "Don't worry Ollie, they aren't going to fight."

"Huh?" I looked at her.

"You know what Stosh saw. I could tell by the expression your face as you ran to him. Desperation."

I shook my head. "It isn't like that, I love Stosh…"

She raised her hand. "You don't have to give me explanations Ollie. I have been there before, trust me. Make the right decision for yourself, and for the right reasons."

"But I'm pregnant…"

"Lay that aside." Katniss says gently.

"Someone will get hurt." I whispered.

"It will happen anyway, Ollie."

"Is this what happened with Peeta and Gale?" I asked.

She sighed and nodded. "It's a long story Ollie. One I'll tell you someday. How about this? When we are all safe back in District 12." She pressed a small button on a silver cuff around her wrist. "This will call the hovercraft."

I nod, my lip quivering. "How will I know the right choice? I barely know Cruz but I can't help the way I feel about him. I have known Stosh forever but didn't fall for him until the Breeding Center. What if our relationship _was _forced?"

She puts her arms around my shoulder. "You'll know when the time comes. Just don't make it harder on yourself or them. One of them is going to end up hurt, you'll even end up hurt, but don't dig it deeper."

Tears are streaming down my face now. "But I want them both." I yell in anger.

"Well this is awkward." Posy's voice pops up behind me. I hold my breath and turn around. The group had caught up with us. The soldiers and twins were looking at the ground, Posy was shaking her head, Stosh was staring at me with his jaw clenched, and Cruz, well Cruz was smiling.

Katniss's cuff blinked and I couldn't help but feel relieved. The silence was awkward. Had I really just admitted to wanting Cruz? I barely knew him, but I couldn't deny how I felt. Stosh was staring at me like I was a trader. And I was, I had betrayed him. I turned to Katniss.

A voice cackled from a small speaker. "Hovercraft left to pick up supplies. Will pick you up this evening."

Katniss looked between us all. "Well, looks like we are stuck here for awhile. Let's get into the shade and get a fire going. I'll hunt for lunch."

Another sharp pain struck me, worst than before. I bent over a little bit and winced.

"Ollie…" Stosh and Cruz both called out and then paused, staring at each other.

Posy rushed forward to my side. "Are you okay? Is it the baby?"

I shook my head. "Just some sharp pains, probably cramping from all the walking."

Posy bit her lip. "Are you sure Ollie? It could be contractions?

I laughed. "I'm barely 36 weeks Posy, I doubt it."

Katniss came to my side. "Babies come early sometimes."

"No, it can't be happening now." I cried out. "We aren't even home yet."

"It's okay. We have Dolo. He's a medic. It will be okay." Katniss spoke.

A tall man with black hair stepped from the group. "I've never delivered a baby but I have some training Ollie. Besides, labor can go on for days. The hovercraft will be here this afternoon." He was trying to calm me down.

Another sharp pain rocked me, I fell to the ground. Suddenly Cruz was on his knees by me. "I've delivered a baby before, I can do this. And by the looks of it, she doesn't have until the afternoon."

Stosh was on my other side now. "No way."

"Stosh…" I pleaded.

Cruz looked at him and knit his brows together. "Now isn't a time to be proud Stosh, this is _your_ baby we're talking about."

Stosh scowled. "Yes, it is _my_ baby. Remember that."

Katniss stepped in between them. "Enough! Hile. Austin. Take Stosh, Posy, Holden, and Hunter away from here. Make a fire like I said. Dolo, Cruz, and I will stay with Ollie."

Stosh looked to me for help but I just shook my head. "Go Stosh."

"But that's our baby Ollie." He whispered.

"And you're not doing him any good but fighting with Stosh." Another contraction rocked me and I cried out. My words had been harsh but they worked, Stosh took off with the others.

Dolo and Katniss helped me lie down on the ground, I felt better as I did. Cruz went to work. "Okay, we'll need boiled water and something to use as a towel." Dolo nodded and went off to fetch the supplies. Katniss ripped a piece of her shirt off and dabbed it with water from a bottle. She pressed it along my forehead.

"Everything is going to be okay, Ollie." She attempted a reassuring smile but I could tell she was afraid. She pressed a button on her cuff and waited.

"Katniss?"

"Hey Traver, is Peeta there?"

"I'm here." Peeta's voice cut in.

"We have a problem."

"Is someone hurt?" Peeta's voice sounded panicked.

"No. But we are going to have a baby, possibly soon."

"Who?"

"Ollie?"

"I'll radio the hovercraft." And with a click Peeta was gone.

Cruz leaned toward me. "Do you trust me Ollie?"

"Yes." I said through gritted teeth.

"Okay. I'm going to need to take your pants off."

"ANYTHING." I yelled. The pain had come on so fast, and all of the sudden. Or had I been ignoring it before as I fought in my mind with who I wanted to be with.

Katniss pulled a jacket from her pack. "We can cover her lap with this." She handed it over as Cruz pulled my pants down. I should be embarrassed but that was the last thing on my mind.

"I'm going to touch you, okay?" He asked.

"Just do whatever you need to. Make the pain stop!" I yelled.

Katniss patted my head again and looked at Cruz. "Just do it." She let out a nervous laugh.

Suddenly the space around my bottom felt wet. "What was that?" I asked.

Cruz looked up at me. "Your water broke. And, this is just a guess, but I would say you at 7cm dilated."

"7CM!" I cried. I thought back to the classes at the Breeding Center. The memories felt years old. "But doesn't that mean I am almost complete?"

He nodded. "You said you are 36 weeks?"

I gave him a nod and winced as another contraction rocked my body.

"Maybe early babies come faster."

Katniss was holding my hand now. "You're sure you can do this, Cruz?"

He sits back for a moment. "My parents are doctors."

"And you said you have delivered babies?" She asked.

He nodded. "Just two, but that is enough."

I breathe through a contraction and then ask. "Whose babies?"

He laughs a little. "How bout I tell you all about it when we make it through this?"

"Deal." I nod.

Dolo makes his way back to us with someone's shirt and a bowl of water. "Stosh gave me his shirt and Holden found this bowl in his pack. They poured water from their bottles and heated it over the fire." He handed it to Cruz. "What's the situation?"

Cruz put his hand underneath me again. "7-8cm and progressing fast. Her water just broke."

"Well, not many people from District 12 can say they had their baby on a beach." I laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

They all look at me, not sure how to respond. Katniss pours more water onto the piece of cloth she is holding and dabs my head. The cuff on her wrist beeps again.

"The hovercraft is turning back. Should be at your location in ten minutes. They have a doctor."

I manage a smile. "They might make it."

"I doubt it." Cruz mumbles.

A contraction doubles me over, worse than the others. "Why is this so painful?" I cry out.

Dolo looks nervous. "Check her again, Cruz."

He does and his eyes widen. "I think she is at 10, I… I can feel a head."

"No!" I cry. "I'm not ready to do this. I need my mom… I need… I need Stosh."

"Do you want me to get him?" Katniss asks.

"No. It… it is better if he isn't here. He isn't stable enough right now." I say through gritted teeth. The pain is getting worse.

"Katniss." Cruz snaps to action. "Get behind Ollie and support her the best you can. Hold her legs back, I'm going to have her push."

"I can't!" I cry, the tears streaming down my face.

Katniss positions herself behind me. "You can do this Ollie."

Dolo kneels beside me. "We need you to push Ollie. It will all be over soon."

I nod and take a deep breath, thinking back to my classes. Something about pushing through a contraction, counting to ten, bearing down… too much to remember. A contraction hits and I push as hard as I can, a cry erupts from my throat.

"Good, I can definitely see the head Ollie." Cruz looks up. "Do that a few more times and he'll be out."

I nod and do as he says. Five more contractions and relief. The pressure and pain is gone.

A cry rings out and we all sit in silence.

Cruz lays a small, pink body on my stomach. "It's definitely a boy." He smiles. He instructs Dolo to dip the rag in water and wash the baby off. Cruz rips a piece of his sleeve off and ties it around the umbilical cord. He pulls a small knife from his pocket and cuts below the knot. More pressure and he pulls something else from my body, discarding it behind him.

I look down at the little boy in my arms. He has a full head of dark hair, just like Stosh. "Hey there little guy." He is so little, gasping for breath. "Is he okay?"

Dolo looks at him. "Breathing on his own for now. The hovercraft will be here soon with the doctor."

"Hold on baby boy." I whisper to him. "Someone should get Stosh."

Dolo turns to leave but Cruz stops him. "Dolo, come here for a minute."

"What?" I ask. Cruz is looking down at my legs.

Dolo looks with him and looks back at me. He looks over at Katniss. "That hovercraft will be here soon right?"

She nods. "What is it?"

I try to sit up a little but I suddenly feel very dizzy. "I don't feel so well guys."

Katniss leans forward and gasps. "That's a lot of blood."

Black sports form in my eyes. "Where?"

"Lay back Ollie." Cruz says. "Dolo, take the baby. Wrap him in the jacket."

His words sound far away and as I lay back the last thing I see before slipping into darkness is a large, bright light in front of me.

_Don't go toward the light, Ollie._


	13. A Name

Short little chapter.

**Ollie**

I'm vaguely aware of the buzzing of machines as I wake up. A bright light hangs overhead of me, a cool liquid seeps into my right arm. I moan and bring my hands to my eyes, blocking out the brightness.

"Ollie?" A voice calls from the distance. Posy's voice.

I open my eyes again and find her sitting a chair next to me.

"Where are we?" I croak, my throat dry.

"A hospital in District 4. How do you feel?" She slides her chair closer and places her hand over mind.

"District 4?" I ask. How did we get here? Did we make it back with the boys? Suddenly the past flashes into my mind like a flood. My eyes jolt open wide. "My baby. Where is my baby?"

Posy smiles. "He is fine. The doctors are taking great care of him. He is a fighter just like his mom."

"What happened to me?" The memories are fuzzy.

"You were bleeding, a lot. When they rushed you up into the hovercraft the ground around you looked like a murder scene."

I frowned. "Where are the others?"

Posy looked down at the floor. "Back at the camp."

I felt confused. "Why? Why aren't they here?"

Posy sighs. "I have a lot to fill you in on Ollie."

Two hours later Posy got permission to take me down to see my baby. Two nurses helped lifted me into a wheelchair and we were off. I was excited to see him, but my mind was mostly elsewhere. Posy filled me in on the situation back at The Resort, how Garth was holding Gale hostage and wouldn't release him until he had Stosh. How Cruz, Holden, and Hunter volunteered to go back with them to be of some help. How there was possibly a battle going on and we had no way of getting information. I had apparently slept all afternoon and through the night, it was the next morning now.

Posy wheeled me down the hall and into a room at the end. A small bed with a large plastic covering sat in the middle, tubes running out of the ends. Inside laid my baby, my helpless little boy. "He looks so tiny." I gasped.

Posy pushed me right up to him and sat down in a rocking chair nearby. "Amazing isn't it?" She pressed her hand to her belly. "Hard to believe I have a baby in my belly. A little girl." She smiles.

I looked at her. "I thought you didn't know what you were having!" She hadn't found out in the Breeding Center and the doctors at The Resort didn't give us any information on our babies.

She smiled bigger. "The doctors here did a check up on me when we arrived. Ari is here too, but she won't come out of her room." She frowns for a moment. "They ran tests and asked if I wanted to know the sex."

"That's awesome Posy!" I looked back at the plastic box that held my baby. "What did the doctors say about him?"

She shrugged. "They didn't tell me much, but they seem optimistic. I'm sure he'll be okay. He is in good hands. By the way, do you have a name for him?"

I shook my head. "No. Stosh and I never talked about it and I guess I didn't think about it back in The Resort."

"Let's name him." She grins at me.

"I don't know, Stosh isn't here…" I frown.

She shrugs. "I'm sure he'll be fine with any name you come up with."

I sigh and nod. "I guess I have thought about naming him after my dad."

"What was your dad's name?"

"Sage." I whisper.

She nods her head. "Sage. I like it."

I pressed my hand up against the plastic. "Sage it is."

A nurse enters the room and excitement crosses her face when she sees me. "Your up! Good. Would you like to hold him? We recommend skin-to-skin contact as much as possible in the first couple days after birth."

I nod my head. "He looks so fragile, will I hurt him?

She gives me a reassuring smile. "You'll do just fine. It comes natural to most. Just slip your hospital gown down and I slide him in."

I do as she says and watch as she lifts the cover to his small crib and gently lifts Sage up. "He is in here to help regulate his body temperaute. Hopefully after a few hours with you he will be doing it on his own. They always do better with their mamas."

She walks over and lays him belly down on my chest. I put my hands over his back and lean down to smell his head. "He is so perfect." I whisper.

The nurse makes notes on his chart. "We did some measurements when you both arrived here at the hospital. He weighs 5lbs 10oz and is 18 and one half inches long. He is a bit small but your friend, Cruz I think, told us he was early. He did a great job delivering him by the way. You should be thankful."

I just nod my head, keeping my eyes on Sage. Cruz did do a great job, but I didn't want to think about him right now. I didn't want to think about Stosh. I just wanted to focus on my baby boy.

Posy stood and put her hand on my shoulder. "I'm going to go check on Ari."

I nod. "Tell her I say hello, and that I am glad she made it back safely."

"I will." She leaves the room.

I spent the next few hours holding Sage. The nurse checks on us every now and again, showing me how to feed him and change him. For now he is all I can focus on.


	14. One Life for Another

**Katniss**

We had arrived back at camp around dinnertime and were gathered around a large fire. We had brought fresh meat and bread back with us from District 4 and Traver was in the process of cooking it. The smell of meat rose around us; I realized how hungry I was. I hadn't eaten since breakfast.

Peeta and I sat apart from the others, I was anxious to tell him about our day. I had communicated with him off and on with the communicuff, but only up until the beach. I told him how we traveling north up the beach and stumbled upon Ollie and Cruz kissing. I told him about the talk I had with Ollie and how she blurted out her feelings for both of them when they were in earshot. I told him about Ollie going into labor and Cruz jumping in to help deliver the baby.

"It was amazing, Peeta." I smiled.

"Cruz?" He asked.

"No, the whole experience. Giving birth. Watching a little baby come out into the world."

His eyes grew saw. "I can only imagine."

"Someday." I laid my hand on his. But the truth was, we had no idea if we could even have children. President Snow had poisoned the water supply, leaving many of Panem's women and men sterile.

I went on to tell him about the hovercraft taking us to a hospital in District 4. "I have a feeling President Paylor will get wind of this fast. We need to move in to the compound before she contacts us and makes other plans."

He nodded his head. "We only have until tomorrow Katniss, I don't think that will be a problem."

"So, do you think she really loves both of them?" Peeta motions across the fire with his head. Cruz and Stosh were situated far from each other. Cruz was talking with the twins while Stosh was discussing something with Austin.

"I really do Peeta. Look at then, what do they remind you of?"

I watched as he glanced between the two of them and then smiled. "Gale and I."

I nod my head. The similarities were kind of shocking when I looked closer. Stosh was tall, with a lean but strong build, and had dark hair and grey eyes. Just like Gale. Then there was Cruz, who was tall and thicker, all muscle, with golden hair and piercing blue eyes. Both were good looking.

Peeta looked at me. "But for some reason I think their personalities go opposite their looks. Cruz looks like the adventurous one, the one up for a fight. Stosh just looks like he would do anything to keep Ollie safe, even die for her.

I take Peeta's hand in mine. "Both are great guys. She has a hard decision ahead of her."

He peers over at me. "Was it hard for you? Even though Gale left, did you think about going after him?"

I shook my head. "I had enough fire and passion for my own, I needed you to cool me off. To keep me levelheaded. In the end I knew it was always you." I leaned forward and kissed him, lingering for a little while before pulling away.

"Mmm." He moaned. "Maybe we should skip dinner."

I laughed. "No way, I am starving. Plus, we need to come up with a plan for tomorrow."

And plan we did. It was Cruz who had actually come up with the best idea, and here we sat, ready to carry it out. We were about a mile from the compound now when we stopped.

"Everyone now what they're doing?" Cruz asked.

We all nodded.

"Good." He said. "Hide any weapons you may want later now. We'll never get past the guards with them."

I stashed my bow and arrows in a nearby hollow tree; the others did the same with their guns. We carried a few on us as well, just in case. Cruz pointed in the direction of the compound. "If you walk straight you won't miss it." He was staying back with Austin and Stosh.

We headed out and it wasn't twenty minutes before we came up to a large steel gate. Two guards popped up on either side of the tower, guns aimed at us. "Drop you weapons!" They yelled.

We set our guns on the ground, making a big show of getting rid of our weapons. Once we set them on the ground they moved in and patted us up and down.

"Watch it." Peeta growled as one of the guards lingered around me, smirking.

The large gates opened and they led us inside. The compound was composed of small buildings with walking paths between each. There was a hangar in the back left and the ocean was to the right. I spotted the cabin that we rescued Ari from. It had a glass tunnel leading into a large white building. I decided it was most likely the Med Center. The guards led us to a building to the left, a large grey building. We stepped inside and moved our way down a long white hall scattered with doors. Once at the end we were motioned through a door on the right, which led into a large conference room. Garth sat at the end of the table, an armed guard at either side.

"Ah, so glad to see you made it. Please, have a seat." He motioned toward the chairs. We sat down. Peeta at the end with my by his side. Hile, Fray, and Dolo surrounding us.

"So, where is the subject of our little arrangement?" Garth asked.

"Around." Peeta shrugged. "Where is Gale?"

"Around." Garth smirked.

"Let's just get to business." I spat at him.

"Very well." Garth stirred sugar into a cup of coffee in front of him. "It is as simple as I told you. You hand over the boy and we'll hand over Gale."

Peeta leaned back in his chair. "How do we know you are telling the truth?"

"I doubt you want to test me Peeta." He pressed a button on the table and an image popped up on a screen on the wall. I gasped. Gale was tied to a metal chair, battered and bruised. An armed guard stood on either side of him, both had a gun to his head. "All it takes it a push of this button to start the execution, and we'll have a front row seat."

"Their waiting in a clearing about a mile north of here. Straight from the gates."

Garth laughed, something about it wasn't right. "Oh I know, did you think we wouldn't watch you coming in?" He snapped his fingers and guards pushed through the door, they had Cruz and Stosh, Austin wasn't with them. "I just liked starting off our meeting with a little game."

I glared at him. "Can't play a clean game though? Where's Gale?"

"I think I'll keep him around for awhile. At least, until we are done with Stosh and all."

I looked at Cruz and he nodded. Suddenly chaos broke out. The guards holding Stosh and Cruz cut their ropes and they both quickly bent down and pulled guns out of the pant legs. They tossed one to Peeta and one to me; they pulled out two of their own. They did this in a matter of seconds and the guards in the room were too surprised to react fast enough. The guards who entered with Cruz and Stosh raised their guns, it too one shot to each guard to bring them down.

Garth reached for a button on his table but I was there first, my gun pointed at his head. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Stand up, against the wall." I yelled.

He put his hands in the air and stood. "Don't do anything you might regret later Katniss."

I let out a wild laugh. "Have you forgotten who you are talking to? I have killed people before. Innocent people. I would have no problem ending your life right here and right now."

"Katniss…" Peeta warned. He came up behind me with cuffs. "So Garth, looks like your playing by our rules now. Lead us to where they are keeping Gale."

Garth backed up toward the corner. "And why should I do that?"

I stepped toward him. "You will if you want to live."

"Go ahead, I dare you Katniss." He was smirking at me. Actually _smirking_ at me.

I stepped a few inches from him and held the gun up to his head. Suddenly Cruz yelled from behind me. "Katniss, NO!"

But it was too late. Garth leaned against a hidden button on the wall and a trap door was activated. The floor below us dropped and the two of us slid down into the darkness.

* * *

**Peeta**

I watched in horror as the floor swallowed Garth and Katniss up and then slid back into place as if nothing happened. I fell to my knees where they disappeared.

"KATNISS!" I banged my fists on the floor and reached up to the wall, looking for the button he pressed.

"It's no use." Cruz said from behind me. "It disappeared once he used it. But I know where they'll take her. First we have to get to Gale. I recognize the room he is being kept in."

I stayed on my knees, willing the floor to open back up. "No, we get Katniss first."

"They won't kill Katniss, they'll use her as bait. They have no reason to keep Gale. Plus, he'll want to get her back almost as bad as you."

I stood, feeling numb. "Let's go. Quickly." We all ran out into the hall and Cruz and the two guards led us through a few security doors. Thankfully Cruz's friends on the inside had the clearance cards to get us through. We ended up in an elevator and rode it three stories down.

"Get your guns ready." We leaned back against the sidewalls and when the doors open guns fired at random from the outside. They died off a little and we took the opportunity. Hile and Fray rolled to the floor and began firing; they had acquired guns from the dead guards upstairs.

The firing came to a halt. "Clear." They yelled. We stepped into the hall where six dead guards lay.

"This way!" Cruz shouted.

We followed him to the end of the hall and to a door on the left. "This is where they are keeping him. We will have to move fast."

I kicked the door down and busted into the room. The guards looked shocked and that is all they had time for. Cruz and Hile ran in behind me and shot them down. So many lives lost today.

Gale looked up at us and smiled. "Hey guys, took you long enough."

"They have Katniss." I blurted out.

He looked at me wide eyed and jumped up. He stripped one of the dead guards of his gun. "Where is she?"

We all looked to Cruz and he frowned. "The basement."

Gale and I looked at each other and nodded. "To the basement then." He growled.

"Wait a minute." Cruz said. "Let's change into the guards clothes. Our faces will still be recognizable but it might add some confusion."

"Good idea." Hile said from behind him.

We dragged the two guards back into the hall where the other six lay and matched up our body types the best we could. We headed back into the elevator and stepped inside.

"We have to be fast." Cruz said. "It won't be long before others are after us. It may be a small compound but Garth has made a lot of allies."

I glared at the floors lighting up as we made our descent. "He won't have many after I kill him."


	15. Escape

I am moving right along with these chapters! It is a good writing night. It took me awhile to come up with a name for the baby but I wanted it to reflect parts of the story the best it could. I decided to go with either stone or plant for District 12 and Sage just jumped into my head. I think it can be very gender neutral [I know both a boy and girl with this name] and still has the uniqueness of Collin's naming patterns.

**Katniss**

I landed hard on the concrete and rolled into Garth. "Ouch." I grabbed my arm, something was wrong. I looked at it and noticed what looked like a second elbow. _It's broken_. I fought the urge to vomit.

Garth moaned beside me, he had hit his head on the concrete and was unconscious. I looked around me; we had fallen into what looked like a basement. It was dimly lit and the ground, walls, and even ceiling, were made of concrete. I used my good arm to push myself to standing and immediately searched for an exit. I had to get out of here. Peeta was probably going mad with worry, and I didn't need him to lose himself here. Not now. I hoped they had the good sense to go after Gale first.

"It's no use, you won't find a way out." Garth sat up and spat blood onto the ground.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You can only enter from the outside. And since pushing the button triggered a silent arm, I have a feeling my guards will be bursting in at any moment." He sat back against the wall.

I looked around for my gun; it had been knocked from my hand when I fell. The ground was littered with garbage and random tarps; I could spend an hour looking through the mess.

"Not if Peeta gets here first." I looked at him and scowled.

"What is so important about this boy?" He asked. "Wouldn't it have been easier just to send him to the gate alone?"

I crossed my arms. "Because what you are doing as wrong. We aren't about to hand over an innocent boy to your experiments."

"Last I checked Katniss, you were living up in the Breeding Center. You don't think that is wrong?"

"It's necessary for the survival of Panem. We didn't have a choice." It felt odd to defend the Breeding Center, it was probably the first time I had done so out loud.

He smirked. "Not so much different than what we are trying to do here. We are looking for a cure, an easier way out of this mess. Once we mass-produce it the Breeding Center can be shut down. President Paylor knows that, she wants the publicity though. Wants the honor of being the one to fix the population problem."

"You are wrong." I sink to the ground and cross my legs; I wince as my arm moves. A horrible pain shoots up the bone.

"Stosh is the key Katniss. We have looked for years for a blood type like his. We came close so many times but there was always something missing. But his blood is perfect."

"But the Breeding Centers will work out in the long run. Why bother?"

He laughs. "Pride. To prove them wrong. For the excitement of a new discovery. There are a lot of reasons Katniss."

"You're sick." I shot a look at him.

He shrugged. "Maybe, but you're the one about to die."

An elevator dinged in the distant. I heard footsteps approaching, and fast. I jumped up and looked around me.

"No where to hide, Katniss." Garth's voice was full of excitement now.

Seven figures appeared around the corner. I held my hands up in front of me and waited, the pain in my broken arm made me want to pass out. Maybe it would be better to die that way, unconscious. A gun fired nearby and I winced, a small cry escaping my lips. But nothing happened.

I counted to five and pulled my arms away. Next to me Garth lay slumped against the wall, blood running from a hole in his head. My mouth hung open and I looked up. Peeta stood ten feet away, a crazed look in his eyes, his arms extended in front of him and a gun in his hand.

"Nice shot." Gale said from beside him, his mouth hanging open as well.

Peeta's face stayed unchanged. His eye twitched a little and he looked distant, not like himself.

"Peeta…" I said. "Stay with me."

He turned toward me, gun still raised. "You." He spat at me.

"Peeta? What are you doing?" Gale shouted.

"Kill the mutt." He hissed in a voice not his own.

"Peeta please. It's me. Katniss, your wife." I pleaded.

"Liar." He hissed back.

Gale circled backward, headed toward me. Stosh stepped out of the shadow. "Peeta, man. What are you doing?"

"Shut up!" He screamed, clutching his head with his free hand. "Kill the mutt."

A cruel smile flashed on his face and he pulled the trigger. I screamed and tried to duck but I knew it was no use. Again, nothing happened. I opened my eyes. Gale lay on the floor in front of me, clutching his side.

Peeta snapped out of it. "Katniss? What happened? Oh God, did I do that?" He fell to his knees. Cruz rushed forward and disarmed him, Peeta didn't struggle.

I dropped to Gale's side, tears streaming down my cheeks. "Gale? Can you hear me?"

"Yeah Catnip?" He gasped.

"You're going to be okay. Hold on. We'll get you have to the hovercraft. Dolo! Can you help him?"

He rushed forward. "I can try and stop the bleeding. We need to get him back to camp though, and soon. I think the bullet missed vital organs but he is still in danger of bleeding out. Let's just be thankful that Peeta's shot wasn't as good as it was with Garth."

He motioned for one of the guards to help him life Gale. Gale cried out in pain as they lifted him. Cruz rushed to my side. "Your arm Katniss. Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Let's get out of here."

I went to wear Peeta still kneeled on the ground, staring at the grey concrete. I leaned down to him and grabbed his face with both hands, forcing him to look at me. "Peeta. We have to go."

"I shot him." He whispered.

"I know. It was a mistake, you didn't mean to. Look, we need to leave. Now!" I grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him up. He didn't resist. I interlocked my fingers with his. "I still love you. I forgive you."

He nodded but didn't answer. I followed the group ahead around the corner and down a hall to an elevator. A guard I didn't recognize flashed his key card and the doors slid open. We stepped inside and waited to rise to the ground level.

Hile, Cruz, and Fray situated themselves behind the door. "We don't know what we'll find when the doors open, we need to be prepared."

But when the doors open the hall was empty. An eerie silence filled the air. We walked with caution down the hall and out the door of the building. The grounds were deserted as well.

Cruz stopped and gasped. He took off at a run.

"Cruz!" Stosh yelled. He turned and looked at me. "Where is he going?"

We followed behind him and found him kneeling on the ground by some bodies.

"No." He cried out.

"Who are they?" I whispered to Stosh.

One of the guards I didn't recognize answered. "His parents."

There were four bodies on the ground; all had been shot multiple times. Cruz crawled to the other couple. "Holden and Hunter's parents as well." He gasped.

I moved forward. "Cruz, I'm so sorry."

He stood and wiped a few tears from his cheeks. "It's no big deal. They knew the risk. We need to move, before whoever did this comes back and finds us."

"We should bury them." I interject.

"We don't have time." Hile answers.

Cruz takes off back toward the gate and we have no choice but to follow him. He enters a code at the gate and it springs to life. We make our way back to the trees where we stashed our weapons; thankfully they are still there. I grab my bow and sheath of arrows with my good hand.

"Here, let me help." Stosh takes of his shirt and fashions a sling for my arm. "Until we get back to the hovercraft and get you fixed up." He smiles.

I let him put it around my shoulder and position it to support my arm. "Thanks." I say.

Cruz pulls a communicuff from a hidden spot in a tree and pressed a button. "Traver. Come in Traver."

"Good to hear your voice." Traver comes over the air.

"We are ready to be picked up."

"We're on our way."

The twins and Traver had orders to keep communication with us and pack up camp. Once the hovercraft picked us up we would immediately head back to District 4. We hiked the remaining four miles to the clearing in silence. I had no doubt we were all thinking about this mornings activities.

How many guards had been killed? Had they been in combat before, or were they just employed here for show? Who killed Cruz's parents? Was that an order issued by Garth? Were they dead before he arrived?

It took us an hour to reach the clearing with Gale being carried and Peeta lagging behind, but when we arrived the hovercraft was waiting. A med team from District 4 had come along and instructed Dolo and one of the guards to bring him to a hospital bed they had set up. One of the doctors led me to a chair and took a look at my arm. They injected me with a cool, clear liquid and my arm was instantly numb. They set the bone and ran it through a machine that set it almost immediately. It was a little stiff. But it worked and I was no longer in pain.

When I came back out into the main area Peeta had resigned himself into the corner, playing with a familiar looking rope. He was making knots, undoing them, and starting all over. Cruz and Stosh sat together talking and looking civil. Hile, Fray, and Dolo were digging into a tray of sandwiches. The twins sat with the two guards I still didn't know, they looked skittish. I made my way toward them.

"Hi, I'm Katniss." I help out my hand. Both guards had blonde hair and blue eyes, an odd pattern I was starting to notice among The Resort citizens.

The taller of the two held his hand out. "Ash". The boy next to him raised his hand to shake mine next. "Keelo."

"Nice to meet you, welcome aboard." I gave them a kind smile, hoping that would put them at ease. I wanted to hear their stories later. Find out more about them, the twins, and Cruz. But right now we all needed some rest.

I made my way over to Peeta and leaned up against him. He leaned away. "Careful Katniss, I'm dangerous."

I grabbed his chin and pulled his face toward mine. My tone was angry. "This isn't the first time you have tried to kill me, Peeta. I'm not made or upset. I just want to be with you." I dropped my hand into his lap.

He looked away but wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer. I laid my head on his shoulder and smiled. "I love you. Real or not real?"

He let out a small laugh. "Real."


	16. Pain

**Ollie**

A new doctor took over for my last and wanted to run some tests on Sage, so I went to find Ari and Posy. I decided to walk on my own because the wheelchair seemed ridiculous and unnecessary. The nurse warned I may feel some pain since I had stitches, and I did, but it was more comfortable than sitting all the time.

I found Ari's room easily, the outside walls were made of glass that could be made hazy during a check up, but it was clear now. I entered and found her and Posy sitting on the bed making a card house.

I laughed. "Some things next change." I walked over and pulled up a chair. "Can I join?"

Posy eyes me carefully. "Only if you promise not to knock it over." She ended the sentence with a giggle.

I eyed Ari; she was in a trance as usual. She seemed to be breaking out of it when we were planning to escape The Resort but she had fallen back into the haze. I wanted to know what happened after she was captured. Maybe some day she would tell me.

_Some day_. Ari wasn't from District 12; everything was going to change when we left the hospital in District 4. "Do you think they'll send you back?"

Posy looked up from her deck of cards. "Back where?"

"To the Breeding Center. I mean, you both still have two months left if you make it to your due date."

She frowns. "Probably. But you said they sent Willow home right?"

I had almost forgotten about Willow. Here Stosh was scowling at me and stomping his feet over my kiss with Cruz when he had been doing the same with Willow back home. "Yeah. I don't understand that."

Posy cocked her head. "What are you keeping from us, Ollie?"

I laughed. "Am I that easy to read? A few days before we planned to escape Garth called me into his office and showed me a video from back home. He showed me Stosh and Willow together, and they were like, _together._ Willow was pregnant so it was obviously recent."

Posy frowned. "I doubt Willow would do that to you. And Stosh, you saw the way he acted when you were with Cruz. And how far he came to rescue."

I sighed. "Yes, but Willow had a crush on Stosh when she first met him. Also, they may have thought we were dead and gone, and they decided to move on."

We sat in silence after that, thinking over the words and the possibilities. The hospital bed wasn't the best surface for our card house but we managed to get six stories. "I think this is a personal best." I smiled.

"How's Sage?" Ari whispered, deciding how big she wanted the first level of the new card house to be.

I shrugged. "I'm really confused by all the doctors and nurses are telling me but he seems to be doing well enough. He is breathing on his own and can even eat a little bit, but he is having trouble with his body temperature. The doctor said he would come find me when he was done."

Posy looked toward the door. "It's been awhile."

I nodded. "Maybe they told me to come back to them."

I stood and straightened my hospital gown. "I'll come back later." I waved goodbye and headed back into the hall. Sage's nurse came running down the hall and met me just as I left Ari's room.

"There you are. I thought I told you not to take Sage out of his room."

"I didn't." I held my hands up. "The doctor came to look at him so I came down to visit Ari. I've been in her room for over an hour."

"What doctor?"

I started to feel dizzy. "Tall, grey hair, blue eyes. I didn't get him name."

_Piercing blue eyes. Like Cruz._

"No!" I screamed and pushed past her, running down the hall. I felt my stitches ripping but I didn't care. I felt drops of blood running down my legs, a metallic taste filled my mouth. I slid into Sage's room and found his crib empty.

"Where is he?" I turned and yelled at the nurse.

She started at me wide-eyed for a moment before running and pressing a large red button on the wall. An alarm sounded in the hall.

"How could I be so stupid?" I cried. "Cruz told me they had allies in the Districts, most of them doctors. I should have checked with you first." Tears streamed down my cheeks, a small puddle of blood was forming at my feet.

"Ollie, we need to get you back to your room." The nurse was looking at the blood now.

"No. We need to find my baby. They'll kill him." I yelled, the dizziness coming on stronger. "Will I ever catch a break?" I screamed at the ceiling now. Looking up at nothing in particular.

The nurse was on the phone now. "Book an OR, fast." Security guards swarmed into the room, trying to get information from the nurse as she rushed to my side. Her words sounded jumbled. "Doctor. Bad. Baby. Gone. Blood. Now." I was slipping to the floor now. I looked down and noticed just how large the puddle of blood had grown. How much blood could a person lose before they died? I didn't care, they took my baby. I had nothing left. Stosh was right to leave me.

I was vaguely aware of being lifted onto a hospital bed and rushed down the hall. Posy's cry rang out in the distance somewhere. Footsteps were all around me, rushing. Voices hurried. How long had it been? Hours, minutes, second? The nurse was still at my side, I felt her hand on mine.

"They found him Ollie…"

I wanted to ask who. Sage or Stosh, but I was already slipping away. The OR lights loomed overhead as a mask covered my face and I was gone.

* * *

**Katniss**

We arrived at the hospital to a swarm of guards and Peacekeepers. We were taken through a back door to avoid the crowd that had grown outside the front door.

"What happened?" I asked once of the nurses escorting us to the rooms where we would receive our check ups and treatments.

She smiled. "We were on lockdown but that is over now. The alarm is loud enough to hear from the local neighborhoods so of course people gathered. It will all quiet down soon."

I gave a nervous glance to Peeta. "Lockdown for what?"

"Ah, here we are." The nurse avoided my question. We had taken the elevator up a few levels and were emptied onto a long white hall lined with large hospital rooms.

Our group consisted of Peeta, Holden, Hunter, Ash, Keelo, Cruz, and myself. Gale's team had refused treatment; they wanted a fast ride back to District 2. I didn't blame them. Gale had been taken to the critical unit, he was unconscious as they wheeled him off the hovercraft.

"Katniss? Katniss!" A frightened looking Posy peeked her head out of one of the rooms. Her cheeks appeared to be tear stained.

I ran to her and pulled her into my arms. "Posy."

Posy started to sob and I tried to comfort her. "I'm here, Gale is fine. We got him, he'll be okay."

She pushed back from me. "Ollie...Sage…gone…blood…everywhere." She lost it again.

Stosh approached her. "What happened to Ollie, Posy? And who is Sage, her dad is dead." His eyes were wild. "Tell me!"

"Careful Stosh." I scowled at him.

Posy shook her head. "No, it's okay. Sage is her son, I mean, your soon too. That is what she named him. I heard her screaming in the hall that someone took him and then an alarm sound, and blood, there was so much blood. They took her away on a hospital bed and she looked so… so pale. She looked awful. No one will tell me anything." She broke into sobs again and buried her face into my shoulder.

Stosh's took off running down the hall. "Ollie? OLLIE!" He screamed.

Peeta took off after him.

Cruz looked sternly at the nurse who had led us in. "I think you need to tell what is going on."

She looked sheepish. "Nothing like this has ever happened before."

Cruz drew closer to her, practically leaning over her. "This isn't exactly a normal situation. What happened?" He demanded.

She crossed her arms. "You don't have to get huffy with me, I'll explain it the best I can. A doctor over in cardiology went AWOL and took a baby. He was stopped before he left the District; the Peacekeepers were already on high alert with the girls being here. Well, before we knew he was okay Ollie found out and… well, she lost it. Running down the hall and screaming. She wasn't completely healed from the birth and started bleeding again. We almost couldn't save her, but we did. I was in the room for the surgery, helping the doctors. She is in recovery now, but she is still unconscious."

She breathed it all out quickly.

"And no one was watching the baby? Especially after all that has happened?" I asked angrily.

She put her hands up. "Don't ask me, I just responded to the emergency call to help Ollie and got bits and pieces of the story from her attending nurse. You'll have to speak to her to figure out more."

She backed away from us, toward the elevator. "Your names are on the plaques outside of the rooms. Your assigned Med Staff will be up soon." She slipped into the elevator as the doors closed.

"Coward." Cruz grunted. "You'd think we were all criminals."

I let out a small laugh. "Most of us have been at one time or another Cruz. I'm not sure they know what to do with us. Forget our rooms, let's go get some answers."

I took Posy's hand in mine and we made our way down the hall. The hall ended at a T and we looked right and left. Peeta and Stosh stood in the hall to the right. Stosh was sitting on the floor with his head on his knees, Peeta stood across from him staring at a large grey door.

"Peeta, what's going on?" I approached him, keeping Posy next to me.

He shrugged. "Ollie is in there, recovering." He motioned toward the door he was just staring at. "They won't let us in. Apparently she is having some emotional issues, screaming at anyone who enters."

A nurse appeared from the room, Ollie's screamed filled the hall from the small opening. She shut the door quickly. "She is asking for something." Stosh jumped up. "Is there a Cruz here?"


	17. A Choice

Hold on friends! I feel as though we have reached the climax, do you? ;) I am going to ask for some opinions. I am laying out the rest of the story map and I want to know what you think. Would you like me to continue and make a trilogy or bring the story to a conclusion with The Resort. There are several more chapters to go I just need to decide, it is like a choose your own ending book.

And short chapter.

**Katniss**

Cruz disappeared into the room and I couldn't bring myself to look at Stosh. This was where Ollie would need to make her decision, before one of them lost it or things went too far. I didn't envy her; I had been in her place before. Thankfully it turned out well and I could only hope she used my happiness as a reason to move forward. That she saw that is could be okay. I only wish I had been able to share the full story before this moment, before things reached this point.

Stosh sighed and stood up. "There is no point in staying here. I'm going to go get cleared by the doctor and hopefully catch a hovercraft home."

I grabbed his arm. "Don't go Stosh, don't do this before you have had a chance to talk to her."

He yanked his arm from my hand. "She wanted to see him first, not _me._ Him! I think the decision has been made."

Posy spoke up from my side now. "She thinks you've moved on."

He froze and looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Garth showed her a video of you and Willow together." Her voice was low and gentle. "She thinks you have already left her."

He placed his hands over his face and rubbed his skin, as if trying to wash something away. "That was all a lie."

"We weren't sure." Posy frowned.

Stosh threw his hands up in the air. "Why else would I have come here looking for her? Why would I have risked my life?"

"Guilt." I whispered.

They both turned to look at me. In fact, all eyes were on my.

"I've been there before." I looked at Peeta. How many times had I done something for either Peeta or Gale out of guilt? How many times had a made a choice based on Peeta or Gale's emotional pain?

Peeta smiled at me and then drew his attention back to Stosh. "Just wait Stosh. Hear her out."

He scowled but slid back to the floor, leaning against the wall. Holden and Hunter stood awkwardly in the hall. "Hey guys, want to go find food with us?" I asked them.

They nodded, thankful for an out. We left Stosh and Posy in the hall, Posy wanted to speak with him alone. We followed signs for the cafeteria and flashed our hospital bracelets we received on the hovercraft. They handed us each a tray and we found a small table in the large room.

Peeta sat next to me and across from the boys. He started to pick at his roll. "Who do you think that doctor was?" He asked them.

One of the twins shrugged, I hadn't figured out who was who yet. "No idea. My guess is they didn't take Ollie's baby on ordered of The Resort. He probably has no idea what happened. Garth has allies all over the Districts, mainly in hospital. They periodically check patients charts and if they find the blood type our parents were looking for, it is their job to report it."

The other twin nodded and took over. "I am guessing he was tiring to prove himself to Garth, take matters into his own hands. It would have been handled much better. We can be thankful for his mistakes. He most likely doesn't know what happened in The Resort earlier today."

I nodded. It made perfect sense. "I wonder how many others are out there, looking for patients to kidnap."

Peeta sighed. "I guess we'll never know. Hopefully The Resort is shut down for now. We can talk to President Paylor about it though, she can increase the Peacekeepers presence in the hospital."

One of the twins nodded. "That would be good for the time being. Someone should do a sweep of The Resort soon. We can go and look over the bodies, see if anyone is missing."

The twins had been silent about the death of their parents. Cruz had broken the news on the ride over, and they seemed numb to it. Like it didn't matter. I secretly wondered if there was a breakdown coming.

"That would be very helpful. Thank you." Peeta said.

We all cleared our plates, famished from the day's activities. By the time we got back to the hall where Ollie was being kept, Cruz was sitting outside by himself. His face showed no signs of joy or disappointment.

"Where's Posy?" I asked.

"She went to find Gale."

I nodded. "Makes sense."

He stood. "I'm tired of all this waiting around. We should go get clearance from the doctors so we can get out of here. I want to get out of District 4, I've spent enough time around the ocean."

"Where will you go?" Peeta asked curiously.

Cruz smirked. "I hear District 12 is nice this time of year."


	18. Decision

I think I can swing this into a trilogy, I am just going to end this book sooner than the last one ended, and it will be a little shorter. But I'll pick up the third book immediately; some stories just have a definite ending. The next chapter or two might be short, I'm having some writers block. I think I need some sleep. ;)

**Ollie**

I fought the urge to cry as Cruz left the room. I just needed to make it past talking to Stosh. The whole day had been an emotional rollercoaster with worrying about everyone out at The Resort, worrying about Sage, almost losing him, almost losing myself. I didn't know how much more I could take. That is why I need to do this, here and now.

A knock sounded on the door. I knew who it would be before he entered. Stosh slipped into the room and approached me slowly, taking me in.

"Hey Ollie Loo. How are you feeling?" He sat in the chair next to my bed and took my hand in his. His expression was a mixture of worry and sadness.

"I've been better." I smiled.

"Ollie…"

"Wait." I held up my hand. "Just let me speak."

He nodded and leaned back in the chair, still keeping my hand in his.

"The past nine or so months have been very trying, Stosh. I wish we could rewind back to the morning before President Paylor broke the news about The Breeding Center. Before we were made partners. Before we were forced to have a baby together. I miss those days, just the two of us as best friends. Part of me wonders where we would be today. Would we still be friends or would we have found our way to love.

I thought about you _every day_ during the six months I was held captive in The Resort. Even after I saw the video of you with Willow, I tried to push that image from my mind and find my way back to you. It was you that pulled me from my haze. You that made me decide to escape from The Resort. At least, that is what I thought. But I recently realized that someone different was pushing me to survive. Pushing me to fight back."

"Ollie…" He whispered.

"Look Stosh. Explain the Willow thing to me."

He nodded. "After you were kidnapped from District 14 Willow, Coda, and I were called into the Command Center by Gale. He told us that he was working on a plan to get you back. But under orders of President Paylor, he needed to send us home. Willow and Coda were included since they had uncovered some of the information about my sessions with Garth. Before we left he told Willow and I we would need to play the part of couple once we got home. First so that people would wonder why we reappeared with out partners. Second so that Garth would think we moved on, thought you to be dead.

The six months up until your rescue were horrible for both Willow and I, Ollie. We played the part during school and when out and about, but behind closed doors at night we mourned together. They placed us in one of the houses in the Victor's Village and we spent most night playing cards and talking about Coda and you. Willow cried over him every night for the first two months, she wanted to call him so bad but Gale told her she couldn't. She'll be happy to know that she can contact him again.

I came with the rescue crew to find you Ollie. I sat by for six months and waited while they planned and when they were ready to go and leave me behind, I forced my way into the mission. I love you Ollie, I need you to know that. And I think you do deep down. Don't you?"

I tried to take a deep breath to control my emotions but the tears were already forming in my eyes. One slipped out and slowly slid down my cheek and onto the pillow my head was resting on.

"I know, Stosh. And I love you too, I really do." My voice was cracking. "So, where do_ you_ think we would be today if the Breeding Center didn't happen?"

He hesitated, rubbing his thumb in circle on my hand. "I honestly don't know Ollie. I want to believe we would have moved past our friendship and into something more, but I don't know."

I nod my head. "I had never thought about the possibility of us being together until it become our reality. But…" I hesitated, not really wanting to bring him into this. "But with Cruz it was instant. I had never felt such a sudden attraction to someone."

Stosh's jaw clenched and he pulled his hand away. "So, that's it. You're choosing him then?"

"No." I shook my head. "I'm choosing Sage."

He paused. "Sage? Oh… Sage." The second time he said it was adoration.

"I need to be with _him. _I need to be there for _him._ I can't do that if I'm worrying about choosing between you and Cruz. I can't do that if I am trying to come up with reasons to pick one of you over the other. I have feelings for you both and until they sort themselves out on their own, I'm going to focus on our son."

He gaped at me. "What… what did you tell Cruz?"

"The same thing, except our story is different."

He nods his head; his forehead crinkles as if deep in thought. "Can I see him?"

"Who?"

"Sage."

I smile. "I was hoping you would ask."

Stosh had spent two hours holding Sage, staring at him and talking to him like I wasn't in the room. I felt at peace about my decision to put things on hold to focus on our son.

"I can't get over how much he looks like me?" Stosh exclaimed.

"I know." I laughed. "That head of dark hair gives it away. I bet he'll have your grey eyes too."

He shakes his head. "I hope he has your eyes." He flashes me a smile.

"This is nice." I say. "Talking and having fun with out any burdens."

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Maybe there is hope for us after all. We can start over."

"Maybe." I smile.

"And what about Cruz?" He asks.

I shrug. "I don't think he is going away any time soon."

He nods. "Then I'll be there too, however you need me to be."

"I still want you to be around him, be a father for him. You're still my best friend Stosh."

He looked up and smiled. "You're my best friend too Ollie Loo."


	19. Leaving

Okay, last chapter in The Resort. Third book to come soon. There will be answers about Cruz, Holden and Hunter, and the other characters in there. No worries!

**Katniss**

One Month Later

"I have a bad feeling about this Peeta. The fact that Gale and President Paylor are both coming here to meet with us means something is up." We were seated at our kitchen table, waiting for the arrival of our guests.

We had been back in District 12 for almost a month now, having been released from District 4 with a clean bill of health. Stosh and Ollie came home a week later with Sage. They were currently living in the house next door.

Peeta stared at the clock on the wall. "They're late."

I was about to respond when a knock sounded on the door. I pushed my chair back and stood to answer the door. Peeta stayed seated, he had an uneasy feeling about this visit ever since we got the call from Gale.

President Paylor and Gale arrived together; a small group of Peacekeepers flocked outside the door. President Paylor motioned for them to stay back and came inside. "Good morning Katniss. Peeta. It's quite a lovely Spring day isn't it?"

I managed a nod but Peeta crossed his arms, waiting. President Paylor hesitated, taking in Peeta's body language, but sat at the end of the table. Gale sat beside her.

Gale spent two weeks recovering in the hospital in District 4. Thankfully the bullet hadn't hit any major organs and he was back on his feet in no time. He used his finger to trace the grain in the wood table; he had yet to look at Peeta or I.

President Paylor clasped her hands together and set them on the table, her posture straight. Her grey hair fell down over her shoulder, parts of it covering her face just slightly. "I asked you to meet with me together because I need your assistance with something. Gale and I spent some time going over the rules we put in place revolving the inhabitants of District 14 and 15, and the program we created. We knew that relationships would be difficult since many of the children were from different Districts than their partners. We had decided that once they turned twenty-one that the mother would have the option of raising the child back in her home District. The couple would also be given the option to live together in one of the two Districts, whichever they chose."

I groaned, knowing where this was going. She continued on.

"We also decided that until the mother and/or father turned twenty-one, they would not be given custody of the child. The child would be raised in District 15 in the finest of conditions. Given excellent education, fed well, socialized, and such. We are taking great care with our newest generation, the future of Panem depends on it."

Gale was scratching at the wood now, his jaw clenched.

Peeta leaned forward in his chair. I straightened in mine. "What exactly are you saying President Paylor? What would you like us to help with?"

She swallowed. "We need Stosh and Ollie to come back to the Breeding Center. We need them to hand Sage over to District 15."

I gritted my teeth. "After all they have been through. All they had to deal with _because_ of your Breeding Center."

She laid her hands palm up on the table. "What choice do I have Ollie? Word has already gotten out that Stosh and Ollie were given leave from the Breeding Centers. There has been talk of parents requesting the release of their own children, because surely they are experiencing emotional trauma, too."

"What did you expect to happen?" Peeta scowled. "That everything would fall exactly into place with your perfect plan? That no one would experience emotional pain?"

Her expression was stern now. "I expected there to be problems, Peeta. But like we discussed before, I didn't have much of a choice. No one was stepping forward to have children and we were dealing with the aftermath of one of President Snow's deadly mutations."

Gale looked up from the table and huffed. "It is just like the Hunger Games, you know. The Districts weren't acting according to your plan so you are taking their children to carry it out anyway."

President Paylor gaped at him. "_You_ came up with this plan with me Gale."

He frowns. "I know, I just need to say that out loud. I have been thinking it for awhile now."

She shook her head and turned back to Peeta and I. "We are filming the documentary in a couple of weeks and we would like you to be there. We would also like you to come to District 14 for an extended say and begin counseling again. We have heard a lot of great stories from the boys and girls you worked with, Peeta."

My stomach turned into a knot. I didn't want to go back to the Breeding Center. I wanted to stay here, at home, where we belonged. The last ten months had been an emotional roller coaster that I didn't want to deal with all over again. "We'll have to think about it." I blurted out.

President Paylor looked disappointed. She had obviously thought we would agree to go from the start, but I wasn't about to give her this right away. I had no doubts that Peeta would want to go. He felt a strong connection to those children and he would want to be there for them, not President Paylor.

She turned back to Gale. "Go get Stosh and Ollie please. I want to speak with them on this matter."

He hesitated but stood and left the house. "I hope you understand why I need to do this, and that you can offer me support when talking with them."

Peeta clenched his hands into fists and then slowly opens them, his fingers stretching out onto the kitchen table. "I can speak for myself only when I say that I don't agree with what you are doing, but I also know from experience that it cannot be stopped at this moment. So, I'll sit and talk to Stosh and Ollie with you. I'll do my best to calm the nerves and help them to see the positives. But for them only, not for you."

She nodded but her face appeared sad. She knew she was losing our trust for her. Things were no longer what they once were. I reached over and took Peeta's hand in mine. We sat in silence until Gale returned. Stosh entered the house first; Ollie was right behind him carrying a sleeping Sage.

I had been over to see her and Sage many times since they arrived back in District 12. Her mother did not know that she was here, something President Paylor asked us to hold off on. We thought that maybe she was stalling until she could work out all that was going on with the raids on The Resort, but now I knew the real reason. With out her mother, Ollie needed a lot of help with Sage. Learning how to bath him, soothe him when he is gassy, what certain cries might mean, etc.

In that sense I had to agree with President Paylor. Ollie had no idea what she was doing when it came to Sage. With time she would get it, fall into a pattern of parenting. But for now she was still young and naïve. She may have grown up faster than most in the past ten months, but she still had a lot to learn. I could count at least five times she carried Sage over to our house, both of them in tears.

Stosh and Ollie took us all in. The sight of President Paylor made them stop in their tracks. Stosh placed himself in front of Ollie protectively, as if he sensed what might be coming.

"Hello Stosh. Hello Ollie. Please, have a seat." She motioned to our kitchen table, talking as if this were _her_ home. Our kitchen was becoming awfully crowded, our table now full.

Stosh took the seat opposite President Paylor and Ollie sat across from me, next to Gale. She shot me a nervous look and I tried to send her a reassuring smile. She sighed and cradled Sage closer to her chest. He was turned into toward her body and he was quietly rasping with each breath, a small baby version of a snore.

President Paylor cleared her throat. "About eight months ago I sat around a table with a similar group of people. I told Stosh that I would allow you both to return home once we got to the bottom of the issue with Garth. In that moment I had not taken the time to review the rules we set in place with Districts 14 and 15 and the process that needed to take place. After much consideration, we'll be escorting you back to District 14 this afternoon."

Stosh and Ollie stared at her in horror. Ollie whimpered a little and tears swelled in her eyes. Stosh took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his lips moved slightly as if he were saying something to himself.

"No…" He breathed.

"I'm sorry Stosh, but this was no an option. You _will_ be coming back to District 14." President Paylor sat straighter in her chair.

"How can you do this? Can she do this?" He looked at Peeta and I now.

Peeta sat back in his chair. "It's complicated, Stosh."

"I can't believe this!" Stosh shouted. "After everything that has happened, after all we have been through."

Ollie put her hand on his shoulder. "Stosh, calm down. It isn't like they are sending us to prison." Her reaction surprised me.

Stosh crossed his arms. "Might as well be."

Ollie sighed. "We have been here before, we can do it again. One more baby, right?" She looked at President Paylor.

President Paylor nodded. "One more baby. Of course, since you just had Sage one month ago, you will be allowed a two-month reprieve, a chance to recover. We would still like you to live at the Breeding Center during this time."

"And Sage?" Ollie asked. "Will we be given a bigger room with space for him as well?"

We all looked down at the table. President Paylor hesitated just long enough for Stosh and Ollie to gasp. "Sage will be living in District 15."

Stosh jumped up from his seat, leaning across the table. "No way. You expect us to hand our son over for over a year so we can take part in your breeding games?"

More silence. I picked at the grain in the wood now, following Gale's lead.

Ollie leaned toward me. "What aren't we being told, Katniss?" Tears were sliding down her cheek now. "Please." She pleaded.

I looked up at her, finding it hard to meet her gaze. I then looked at President Paylor. "You'll need to tell them. This is your doing."

President Paylor nodded. "Sage will under the guardianship of District 15 until one of your turns twenty-one."

Stosh fell back into the chair, shocks erasing away any sign of emotion on his face. Ollie used her free hand to cover her mouth. "Four years?" She gasped.

President Paylor tried to put on a smile. "You be able to visit him as often as you want while in District 14. Once you are released you'll be able to visit him once a month."

Stosh stared at Ollie, mouth hanging open.

President Paylor leaned forward. "And don't think about running. The Peacekeepers are waiting outside right now. You'll be taken immediately to District 14."

I found her threat to be unnecessary but I recognized a hint of desperation in her voice. She was so anxious for the Breeding Center to work that she was taking extreme measures. I imagined it had something to do with the upcoming documentary.

President Paylor stood and walked to the door. She opened it and motioned in the Peacekeepers. "We are ready to leave now."

The Peacekeeper nodded. "Should we cuff the boy for precaution?"

Stosh jumped up but Peeta stood and walked around the table. "That won't be necessary. I'll sit with him."

President Paylor smiled. "Good. See you all in a few weeks." And with that she was gone.

The Peacekeepers ushered Stosh and Ollie out of the house. Peeta moved forward and then looked back at me, extending his hand. I sighed. "Let me go get my dad's hunting jacket." I had a feeling we were going to need all the luck we could get over the next few months.


	20. Sneak Peek

**A sneak peek into book #3…**

I held the letter in my hand, rereading the words for the third time. This was alarming, in fact, more than alarming.

_Katniss,_

_ I write this letter as a warning, and also in confidence that you will handle the situation appropriately. There is trouble brewing among the Districts, an unrest you can feel in the air. No one will speak the words or admit it, but we are on the verge of another Rebellion. The second reaping of children for the Breeding Center is upon us there are talks of refusal to hand over the boys and girls for testing. _

_In the next few days I'll arrive in District 4, the investigation at The Resort has been long and drawn out. President Paylor is trying to keep me busy, fearful of what my presence might provoke in the people of Panem. You and Peeta may have been the stars of the Rebellion, but I am remembered as well. I am the fierce fighter who stood by your side, stood up for right over wrong, no matter the cost._

_I have been commanded to report back to the Capitol in two weeks for debriefing. I have no doubts that I am going to be kept out of public eye for the airing of the documentary. I have a feeling that you and Peeta will be asked to remove yourself as well. We are no longer assets in President Paylor's breeding games. We are liabilities._

_Katniss, remember who your enemy is._

_Stay safe._

_Your best friend, Gale_

"Remember who your enemy is." I whispered to myself. The last time I heard those words Haymitch was speaking them to me. I was preparing to enter the arena in the Quarter Quell and I soon found out what he meant. The Capitol is the enemy. Gale wants me to resurrect the Mockingjay.


	21. Link to Final Book

Link to the third and final book in The Breeding Games trilogy.

.net/s/6700738/1/

Remember, if this does not appear correctly, just put fanfiction in front of it. You can also go to my profile and find the new story there.


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